India, March 7 -- In a major administrative overhaul ahead of the panchayat elections scheduled for May, the Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Saturday approved significant amendments to the Panchayati Raj Act, effectively changing the reservation roster.

Presided over by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the cabinet decided that panchayats that have remained reserved for the same category for two consecutive terms since the base year 2010 will no longer be reserved in the forthcoming elections.

Revenue minister Jagat Negi explained that the old rules were "depriving members of other categories the opportunity to contest", and the new rules would ensure a fairer distribution of electoral opportunities. The government has now invited publ...