Jaipur, July 20 (IANS) The Rajasthan government, led by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, has finally outlined the road map for the long-pending Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections before the High Court, following the court’s insistence on a clear election timeline.
According to the schedule submitted by the Rajasthan government, the process will begin in August, with Urban Local Body elections to be notified on August 17, followed by the Panchayat elections notification on September 23.
The Urban Local Body polls will be conducted first, followed by the Panchayat elections. During the hearing, the BJP government in Rajasthan informed the court that a high-level meeting was convened on July 19 under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, in compliance with the High Court’s July 16 directions.
The meeting was attended by officials from the State Election Commission, OBC Commission, Department of Local Self-Government, and Panchayati Raj Department.
It was decided that the OBC Commission will submit its report by August 5, reservation for SCs, STs, OBCs, and women through the lottery process will be completed by August 15 and the State Election Commission will thereafter initiate the election process.
While hearing the matter, the High Court sought a definite schedule instead of a broad assurance from the government.
In response, the government informed the court that Notification for Urban Local Body elections will be made by August 17 and by September 23, notification for Panchayat elections will be made.
As per the government’s plan, the State Election Commission will conduct the elections within 90 days of completing the reservation process.
If the High Court approves the proposed schedule, polling for Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections is likely to be completed in multiple phases by November 15.
The matter reached the High Court after separate Public Interest Litigations (PILs) challenged the delay in conducting local body and Panchayat elections were filed.
The PIL on delayed Panchayat elections was filed by Girraj Singh Devanda. The petition regarding delayed Urban Local Body elections was filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha.
The High Court has been closely monitoring the matter to ensure timely elections in accordance with constitutional provisions.
–IANS
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