No panchayat elections before June: Rajasthan govt submits affidavit in HC

The affidavit states that the process of reorganisation and delimitation of panchayats and municipalities, which began with a notification issued in March, will continue until May or June.

Only after this process is completed will the election schedule be finalised. The High Court had earlier asked the state government to clarify when it intended to conduct elections for 6,759 Gram Panchayats, in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the postponement of these polls.

The court noted that the government’s earlier reply had failed to mention any specific timeline, and in the previous hearing, directed the government to comply with its February 4 order by providing a clear election schedule.

Petitioners’ advocate Premchand Devanda argued that the state government had postponed the panchayat elections via a notification issued on January 16, 2025. He claimed this was in direct violation of Article 243E and Article 243K of the Constitution of India, along with Section 17 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.

Devanda contended that by deferring elections, the government had undermined the foundational structure of local self-governance, leaving the smallest units of democracy—village panchayats—without legitimate representation.

The petitioners further argued that once the five-year term of a panchayat is completed, elections cannot be delayed, even for a day, under constitutional and statutory provisions.

They pointed out that outgoing sarpanches no longer hold any official status and are essentially private individuals. Therefore, such individuals cannot legally be appointed as administrators of panchayats.

In its response, the state government defended its decision, stating that it has the right to appoint administrators in panchayats where elections have been postponed.

Referring to Section 95 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, the government maintained that it is empowered to appoint administrators and that the Act does not impose any specific criteria on who may or may not be appointed to such roles.