NEW DELHI — There are two key requirements for a truly representative democracy: First, that anyone of good character can run for election, without regard to income, gender or social status; and second, that voters determine which qualities are most important in those they elect.

The Indian state of Rajasthan has struck a blow against both of these freedoms. Last month, the governor issued an executive order barring citizens with less than eight years of formal education from running for election for village council head. The rationale was to create more effective and less corrupt administrations. The effect, however, will be to disempower the historically disadvantaged — women and the poor. Upward of half the state’s adult male population and three-quarters of its adult female population have been disqualified from running in the elections that begin this week.

There are some 250,000 village councils, or Gram Panchayats, in India. Elections are held every five years, and voter turnout regularly surpasses that in state and national elections. The demographic makeup of those elected is also more diverse, in large part a result of the constitutional requirement that a certain fraction of council head positions, or Pradhans, be reserved for women, lower castes and tribal groups. As of 2009, only 11 percent of India’s national legislators were women, compared with 40 percent of village council heads.

The councils choose which public goods to invest in — from drinking-water facilities to roads — and where to put them. They implement welfare schemes and public jobs programs, and decide who will benefit. Over the last decade, as India has expanded its social safety net and increased investments in rural infrastructure, the financial stakes of village elections have risen. The politicians behind the education requirement have argued that less educated leaders failed to be effective administrators and were less able to resist corruption and negotiate with district officials.