Announcement of the election programme

The Rajasthan State Election Commission is expected to publish the Panchayati Raj election calendar on Saturday, 3 October, at 3 p.m. The release will automatically trigger the Model Code of Conduct throughout the state’s rural areas.

Phased polling plan

Commission officials have hinted at a four‑phase rollout, but the exact dates for each phase will be confirmed only after the official proclamation.

Nomination schedule

District collectors are likely to issue the election notification between 5 and 6 October. Once the notice is out, the nomination window will open shortly thereafter. The full timeline—including dates for filing nominations, scrutiny, withdrawals and the actual polling—will be detailed in the commission’s comprehensive programme.

Voting methods

Different posts will be filled using different voting mechanisms. Sarpanch and ward‑panch candidates will be elected on paper ballots, while members of Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads will be chosen through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The statutory 50 % reservation for women in all Panchayati Raj bodies remains unchanged.

Magnitude of the exercise

Nearly 1.69 lakh representatives will be elected across Rajasthan. The breakdown is as follows:

  • 1,403 members of Zila Parishads
  • 8,245 members of Panchayat Samitis
  • 14,403 gram panchayats, covering sarpanch and ward‑panch seats
  • Approximately 1.30 lakh ward‑panch positions
  • 41 Zila Pramukh and 457 Panchayat Samiti Pradhan posts

Among the top‑tier positions, 20 Zila Pramukh and 221 Pradhan seats are earmarked for women.

Reservation overview

Women continue to enjoy a 50 % reservation across every level. Specific allocations include:

  • ~7,200 sarpanch seats reserved for women
  • ~65,000 ward‑panch seats reserved for women

Category‑wise reservation for sarpanch posts:

  • 3,058 seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST)
  • 2,493 seats for Scheduled Castes (SC)
  • 1,961 seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC)

Reservation distribution for ward‑panch posts:

  • 21,962 seats for SC
  • 19,117 seats for ST
  • ≈15,000 seats for OBC

In the districts of Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh and Salumbar, all 1,253 sarpanch seats are reserved for the ST category.

Next steps

The definitive polling dates and phase‑wise arrangements will be confirmed once the Rajasthan State Election Commission releases the complete election schedule.