With reference to the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 and its subsequent amendments, how many of the following criteria are mandatory for a candidate contesting for the post of a Sarpanch? 1. The candidate must possess a functional toilet in their residential premises. 2. A male candidate from the General Category must have passed the Matriculation (10th) examination. 3. The candidate must not have any arrears owed to any Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS). 4. The candidate must be a minimum of 25 years of age. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015

• The amendment prescribed a functional toilet in the house of the candidate as a mandatory qualification for contesting panchayat elections. Hence, criterion 1 is correct.
• It prescribed the minimum educational qualification of matriculation for a general category male candidate, class VIII for women of the general category and for men of the Scheduled Castes and class V for Scheduled Caste women. Hence, criterion 2 is correct.
• A person having arrears of any cooperative loan, that is dues of a Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society, or arrears of electricity bills, is disqualified from contesting. Hence, criterion 3 is correct.
• The minimum age for contesting a panchayat election is 21 years and not 25 years. Hence, criterion 4 is not correct.
• These provisions were upheld by the Supreme Court in Rajbala vs. State of Haryana (2015).
• Therefore, only three of the given criteria are mandatory.