State govt moves Rajasthan high court to defer panchayat polls

JAIPUR: The state govt Monday moved an application before the Rajasthan High Court seeking an extension of time to conduct elections to urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions, citing “legal, administrative and logistical constraints.” The application was filed through advocate general Rajendra Prasad in the pending PIL, Sanyam Lodha vs State of Rajasthan, before the Jaipur bench.

The state told the court it could not meet the April 15 deadline set in the high court’s Nov 14, 2025, order, despite “sincere efforts,” and placed on record delays in the OBC commission report, pending litigation over delimitation and related issues, large-scale deployment requirements, and adverse weather conditions.

The plea comes after the high court on April 2 issued contempt notices to the State Election Commission and election commissioner Rajeshwar Singh over the delay in conducting the polls.

In its application, the govt said the OBC Commission, constituted on May 9, 2025, sought repeated extensions to finalise its report. It argued that holding elections without implementing updated OBC reservation would run contrary to social justice principles, and that only after receiving the report could it complete seat identification and reservation determination for SC, ST, OBC and women.

The state also pointed to multiple petitions and legal ambiguities — particularly concerning urban local bodies — that delayed finalisation of electoral rolls. It said elections would require coordination across thousands of polling booths and deployment of lakhs of polling personnel, needing additional preparation time.

Citing climatic constraints, the state govt said extreme summer heat and the monsoon season were unsuitable for conducting elections.

Assuring the court there was no deliberate delay, the state said it was working to hold elections at the earliest in line with constitutional mandates. The high court will now decide whether to grant the extension.
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