Rajasthan High Court orders panchayat, local body polls by July 31

Rajasthan High Court on Friday (May 22, 2026) directed the State government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct panchayat and urban local body elections in the State by July 31.

A Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma also directed the OBC Commission to submit its report by June 20.

During the hearing, the State government had sought time till December to hold the elections, citing the pending OBC Commission report and other circumstances.

Earlier, the Division Bench had reserved its verdict on May 11 after completion of arguments.

The matter pertains to a November 14, 2025 order of the High Court in a batch of petitions directing the state government to conduct panchayat and municipal elections by April 15, 2026.

However, the government later moved an application before the High Court seeking deferment of the polls.

During the proceedings, the government had submitted that elections could not be conducted immediately due to the non-submission of the OBC Commission report and other prevailing circumstances.