242 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
barriers, it was desirable to provide that any person who is entitled to be a candidate may stand anywhere in India, notwithstanding the fact that he does not belong to that province or to that constituency.
[M R . D EPUTY S PEAKER in the Chair ]
So that under the provisions of the Bill a person may not only stand as a candidate in his own constituency but he may stand as a candidate in any other constituency in his State, nay, he may stand as a candidate in any other State where he has not resided, provided he is a qualified voter in some particular constituency. That is with regard to qualifications.
With regard to disqualifications what we have done is this. Hitherto the law relating to disqualification was scattered in different statutes. Part of it was laid down in the Government of India (Provincial Elections, Corrupt Practices and Election Petitions) Order of 1936 issued by the Secretary of State after the passing of the Government of India Act, 1935. Other provisions were to be found in the Indian Elections Offences Enquiry Act, 1920. It was felt that it would be much better to have a consolidated list of disqualifications in this very Act. And that is what has been done.
I may here mention that it was my proposal that the holding of a contract with the Government should also be a matter for disqualification. Such a provision exists in the U. K. Act. But I thought that it might be better to consult the Select Committee on this particular provision whether the disqualification should be for standing as a candidate or whether the disqualification should be limited to continuing to be a Member of Parliament. As I myself was not certain which course to adopt I have left the question open to be decided by the Select Committee.
Now I come to another matter, namely, the conduct of elections. In this connection I would like to draw the attention of the House to certain new features that are contained in the Bill with regard to nomination. As the House will remember, under the existing law the question of the validity