The Rajasthan OBC Commission will launch a statewide door-to-door survey of Other Backward Class (OBC) families beginning 10 July, aimed at assessing reservation requirements ahead of the state's Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body (ULB) elections. The survey runs through 23 July, after which the Commission will compile its findings and submit a formal report to the state government — a prerequisite before the State Election Commission can announce any election schedule.

Why the Survey Is Legally Mandated

Acting on directives from the Supreme Court, the OBC Commission has been tasked with preparing evidence-based recommendations on OBC reservation for elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and Urban Local Bodies. District Collectors across Rajasthan have designated nodal officers, assistant nodal officers, and enumerators to carry out the exercise through both online and in-person modes. The State Election Commission cannot notify the election schedule until OBC reservation quotas are formally determined through this process.

Transfer Deadlock: Commission Raises Alarm

The OBC Commission has written to the Chief Secretary flagging a critical operational risk: the state government's ongoing transfer exercise for government employees, permitted until 10 July, could pull enumerators and survey personnel away from their current postings mid-exercise. In its letter, the Commission warned that if those assigned to survey duties are transferred and relieved before the work is complete, the entire exercise could face delays, pushing back the report submission and, by extension, the election schedule itself.

Election Timeline Under Pressure

The Commission is expected to submit its report by the second week of August. Based on that, the State Election Commission may announce the poll schedule by late August or September, with both Panchayati Raj and ULB elections likely to conclude by November. This timeline, however, runs into a legal hurdle: the Rajasthan High Court had directed the state to hold these elections by 31 July — a deadline the government now concedes is difficult to meet, maintaining that polls cannot proceed until OBC reservation is settled.

Contempt Petition and Legal Countermoves

Congress leader Sanyam Lodha has filed a contempt petition in the High Court over the delay. Anticipating that the government will seek additional time, Lodha has also filed a caveat to ensure he is heard before any court order extends the deadline. The dual legal move signals that opposition pressure on the ruling dispensation over the election delay is intensifying.

Transfer Exemption Extended Again

The Rajasthan government has extended the exemption period for departmental transfers by five more days, now running until 10 July. The transfer window was originally reopened on 9 June, when the government lifted an earlier ban that had been in place until 5 July. The overlap between the transfer window's end date and the survey's start date is precisely what the OBC Commission has flagged as a risk to the exercise.

With the High Court deadline already missed and a contempt petition in motion, the coming weeks will test whether the state can complete the OBC survey on schedule and present a credible path to elections before the year ends.