Panchayat, local body elections in Rajasthan to be completed by November 15

Image is for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: The Hindu

The much-awaited Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections in Rajasthan will be completed by November 15 this year after the report of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission on Political Representation in August. The reservation of seats in the elections will be determined on the basis of the report of the Commission.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government submitted the schedule for panchayat and local body elections in the Rajasthan High Court during a hearing on a number of public interest petitions on Monday (July 20, 2026). On 14 November 2025, the High Court directed the state government to complete the delimitation process by 31 December and hold these polls by 15 April 2026.

Following the court’s stern observations, the local government department and the Panchayati Raj department filed an affidavit that the departmental classification for reservation would be completed within 10 days of submission of the OBC commission’s report.

Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Women will be completed through a lottery process by August 15, after which the State Election Commission will begin the process of conducting polls, according to the affidavit.

When a Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice SP Sharma asked for specific dates, the Advocate General said that the local body elections will be announced on August 17 and will be held by September 20, followed by the announcement of panchayat elections on September 23 and the completion of polls by November 15.

The petitions for the delay in conducting the elections were filed by citizen Giriraj Singh Devanda and former MLA Sanyam Lodha. The Supreme Court had on April 2 this year issued a contempt notice to the State Election Commission and Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh, taking exception to the delay despite the earlier order.

Elections are being held for around 14,000 village panchayats and over 300 municipalities in the state. The state government informed the court that delimitation of local bodies and revision of electoral rolls have already been completed, while it will take about 50 days to hold the elections in phases.

The court disposed of the petitions after recording the state government’s assurance on the timeline. The opposition Congress targeted the BJP government for the delay in holding the elections, claiming that postponing the elections was tantamount to an attack on democracy.

While the state government cited administrative and legal constraints during the Supreme Court hearing, Congress leaders said the BJP feared its electoral defeat due to its “maladministration” during the last two-and-a-half years.

Published – 21 Jul 2026 04:29 IST