The Rajasthan State Election Commission (SEC) told the Rajasthan High Court on Thursday, 17 July that it can announce the schedule for long-pending Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections within two days — but only after the state government finalises and notifies seat reservations. The disclosure came during a contempt petition hearing, with the Commission placing the responsibility for the delay squarely on the government's failure to complete the reservation process.

What the Election Commission Told the Court

State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh, appearing via video conferencing, submitted that the Commission has completed all logistical preparations — voter lists have been updated, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been sourced from other states, and all ground-level arrangements are in place. The sole bottleneck, he said, is the pending reservation of wards and chairperson posts for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and women.

'The State Election Commission is fully prepared. Voter lists have been updated, EVMs have been arranged from other states, and all logistical preparations have been completed. However, the reservation of wards and offices remains pending, and that responsibility lies with the Panchayati Raj Department and the Department of Local Self-Government,' Singh submitted before the court.

Government Departments in the Dock

Singh told the court that the Commission had written six letters — three each to the Panchayati Raj Department and the Department of Local Self-Government — requesting completion of the reservation process. In response, the departments indicated that the OBC Commission is expected to submit its report by 14 August, after which the reservation lottery would be conducted. The full reservation process — covering SC, ST, OBC, and women — is proposed to be completed by 21 August.

Singh emphasised that without finalised reservation details, the Commission cannot notify elections, as it would have no basis to determine which candidate categories are eligible to contest from which wards.

High Court's Displeasure and Warning

The contempt petition was filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha, who alleged non-compliance with the court's earlier direction to complete elections by 31 July. The bench expressed clear dissatisfaction over the continued delay, questioning why the OBC Commission's report had been pushed to August despite the court's earlier timeline.

The court observed that when the matter is taken up again on 20 July, it expects the reservation lottery schedule, the election notification, and the OBC Commission's report to all fall within July — not August. Notably, the bench also remarked that if the SEC proved unable to conduct the elections, it could consider appointing a retired judge to oversee the process — a rare and pointed signal of judicial impatience.

What Happens Next

The matter will be heard again on 20 July, when the state government, the Election Commission, and the OBC Commission are expected to present firm timelines for completing reservations and announcing the poll schedule. The court had earlier observed that elections could proceed even without the OBC Commission's report, provided SC, ST, and women's reservations were determined — leaving the government with limited room to defer further.