Announcement of the election calendar

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

Four‑phase polling plan

While the commission has indicated that voting will be conducted in four phases, the exact dates for each phase will be confirmed only after the official declaration.

Timeline for nominations

District collectors are expected to issue the election notifications around 5‑6 October. Once the notices are out, the nomination window should open shortly thereafter. The full schedule – covering filing of nominations, scrutiny, withdrawals and the actual polling dates – will be detailed in the commission’s comprehensive programme.

Voting methods

Different categories of posts will use different voting mechanisms. Sarpanches and ward‑panch members will vote on paper ballots, whereas members of Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads will be elected through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The statutory reservation of 50 % for women remains applicable to all Panchayati Raj bodies.

Magnitude of the exercise

Approximately 1.69 lakh representatives will be elected across Rajasthan. The breakdown includes:

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

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

Women’s reservation snapshot

The 50 % reservation for women continues across all levels. Specific allocations are:

  • About 7,200 sarpanch seats reserved for women
  • Approximately 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
  • Around 15,000 seats for OBC

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

What follows next

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