Rajasthan High Court reserves verdict on state plea to defer panchayat, civic body polls

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on applications filed by the state government and the State Election Commission seeking more time to conduct panchayat and civic body elections, after a bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjeet Purohit pulled up the government for repeatedly postponing the polls. The bench observed orally that the government’s attitude was not right and that the court had already given sufficient time, yet the elections were being deferred again and again.

Advocate General Rajendra Prasad submitted that two conflicting High Court orders on the internal delimitation of wards had affected the election process for civic bodies. The bench, however, asked why panchayat elections had not been held, since the earlier court order pertained to civic bodies. The Advocate General responded that elections could not be held as the OBC Commission’s report was still awaited. He told the court that the OBC Commission had been constituted on May 9, 2025, but had repeatedly sought time extensions to complete its report, with its term being extended from time to time. The bench remarked that the OBC Commission’s activities were not before it; otherwise, it would have issued directions to the commission as well.

The hearing saw several sharp exchanges. When the Advocate General argued that June in Rajasthan brings severe heat and heatwaves, making elections difficult, the bench responded that this was no reason, as people in Rajasthan knew how to deal with such conditions. When the government said candidates would face problems campaigning, the court said they would get sufficient time. On the government citing July rains, the bench remarked, “Rainfall in Rajasthan?”

Appearing for the petitioners, Advocate Puneet Singhvi argued that the government had no intention of holding elections and that a constitutional crisis had emerged in the state, with administrators running panchayats and officers heading civic bodies. Advocate Premchand Devanda submitted that the tenure of around 11,500 panchayats had ended and the number had now risen to 14,000, and that the government had been deferring elections for the past one and a half years.

On November 14, 2025, the Rajasthan High Court had disposed of 439 petitions, directing the state government to hold panchayat and civic body elections by April 15, 2026, and to complete the delimitation process by December 31, 2025. The Supreme Court, while hearing related pleas, had also called for elections to be held by April 15. The state government and the Election Commission have now moved fresh applications seeking further time.

In its application, the government stated that it had made every possible effort to comply with the court’s order, but the prevailing circumstances had made it impossible to hold elections by April 15. It cited the pending OBC Commission report and the availability of schools, staff, EVMs and other resources as reasons for the delay. The government also argued that several panchayat samitis and zila parishads will see their tenure end between September and December, and holding elections after that would strengthen the “One State-One Election” concept.

The State Election Commission has supported the government’s plea, stating in its application that elections cannot be held before the determination of OBC reservation. Separately, former MLAs Sanyam Lodha and Girraj Devanda have filed a contempt petition against the Election Commission, on which the High Court will hear arguments on May 18.