Rajasthan's long-delayed panchayat and civic body elections are finally moving toward a concrete timeline, with the State Election Commission stepping up preparations after repeated prodding from the state high court. Indications suggest the state's panchayat and local body polls could be held in six phases.
Voter list nearly ready, returning officers appointed
The Election Commission has almost completed preparing the voter list, widely regarded as the most basic and time-consuming groundwork before any election. Alongside this, returning officers have already been appointed for the different constituencies, and they will oversee the entire process from polling to counting. With both these tasks largely done, the commission can now focus on the remaining logistics, such as arranging polling material and machines.
Ballots for panch, sarpanch posts; EVMs for the rest
According to the Election Commission, voting for zila parishad and panchayat samiti members will be conducted through EVMs, while voters will pick panch and sarpanch candidates using traditional paper ballots. Enough ballot boxes are already available within the districts, so that side of the logistics is not expected to pose major problems. The EVM machines, however, are being sourced from the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh. District-level master trainers have already been trained on operating these machines, aimed at minimising technical glitches on polling day.
High Court wants a full schedule by July 20
This urgency did not come out of nowhere. The Rajasthan High Court recently gave a firm directive to the state government and the State Election Commission to submit a complete schedule for panchayat and urban body elections to the court by July 20. The court also said the government and the commission should work out this schedule in consultation with the OBC Commission, so it becomes clear by which date a lottery for ward delimitation will be held and on which dates the Election Commission will announce polling dates. The court has directed concerned officials to be present at the next hearing as well. During the hearing, the bench expressed clear displeasure over the state's repeated failure to meet court-set deadlines for holding these elections.
Why the elections kept getting delayed
The case stems from multiple petitions before the high court. On November 14, 2025, the court had ordered the state government to hold panchayat and municipal elections by April 15, 2026. When the state government and the Election Commission failed to meet that deadline, petitioners filed contempt of court pleas. Hearing those pleas, the high court on May 22, 2026, once again directed the state to hold elections to the concerned bodies by July 31, 2026, without fail. The delay has been attributed to the OBC Commission's report not having arrived yet and pending recommendations on the reservation quota. The state government has assured the court that the OBC Commission will submit its report by August 14, while the finer details of reservation are expected to be finalised by August 31. Amid the court's firm stance, attention now turns to whether the Election Commission actually manages to present the full schedule by July 20 as directed.
