Jaipur, Oct 3 (IANS) The Rajasthan State Election Commission on Saturday announced the schedule for the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections, with polling to be conducted in four phases across the state.
Elections for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will be held on October 23, October 29, November 4 and November 14, while voting for Sarpanch and Ward Panch posts will take place on October 25, October 31, November 6 and November 16, respectively.
Counting for the Sarpanch and Ward Panch elections will be conducted on the day of polling, while counting for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will take place on November 20.
With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in rural Rajasthan.
Around 1.69 lakh Panchayati Raj representatives will be elected in the polls.
The elections will cover 1,403 Zila Parishad members, 8,245 Panchayat Samiti members and 14,403 Sarpanchs.
The elected Zila Parishad members will subsequently elect 41 Zila Pramukhs, while Panchayat Samiti members will elect 457 Pradhans.
Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will be elected under first phase on October 23, second phase on October 29, third phase on November 4 and fourth phase on November 14.
For Sarpanch and Ward Panch, polling date is October 25 for first phase, second phase on October 31, third phase on November 6 and fourth phase on November 16.
Voting for Sarpanch and Ward Panch posts will be conducted using ballot papers, while Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti member elections will be held using EVMs.
Women have been provided 50 per cent reservation in the Panchayati Raj institutions.
Around 7,200 women are expected to be elected as Sarpanchs, while more than 63,000 Ward Panch posts are reserved for women.
At the higher levels, 20 of the 41 Zila Pramukh posts and 221 of the 457 Pradhan posts are reserved for women.
Among the Sarpanch posts, 3,058 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, 2,493 for Scheduled Castes and 1,961 for Other Backward Classes.
Of the nearly 1.30 lakh Ward Panch positions, 21,962 are reserved for SC candidates, 19,117 for ST candidates and around 15,000 for OBC candidates.
Around 4.03 crore voters are eligible to participate in the Panchayati Raj elections.
Among the 41 districts, Jaipur has the largest electorate, with around 18.99 lakh voters, while Jaisalmer has the smallest, with around 4.36 lakh voters.
The elections for Zila Pramukh and Pradhan will be conducted after the election of Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members.
The Zila Pramukh and Pradhan elections are scheduled for November 25, with the overall election process expected to conclude by November 28.
The tenures of the existing Pramukhs and Pradhans in Kota, Sri Ganganagar, Baran and Karauli are due to conclude in December 2026.
However, elections for members of the Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis in these districts will be held along with the rest of the state.
The announcement of the election schedule has brought the Model Code of Conduct into force in rural areas.
Transfers of government employees have been restricted, while Ministers and other public representatives face restrictions on the use of government facilities for political purposes.
The Rajasthan government cannot announce new schemes or programmes that could influence voters during the election period.
The Panchayati Raj elections are expected to become an important organisational test for both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition Congress, particularly because the elections cover a large number of village-level and block-level seats.
The contest will determine the composition of 457 Panchayat Samitis and 41 Zila Parishads, with the elected members subsequently choosing Pradhans and Zila Pramukhs.
For political parties, the distribution of Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti seats will therefore be closely watched.
The final formation of these bodies will also involve the subsequent elections for their chairpersons.
–IANS
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