Panchayat Elections In Rajasthan To Be Held In Four Phases From October 23
Election dates for 14,403 Gram Panchayats in Rajasthan have been announced. With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect.
Published : October 3, 2026 at 5:43 PM IST
Jaipur: Panchayati Raj elections in Rajasthan will be held in four phases starting October 23, State Election Commission announced on Saturday.
State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh while announcing the polling schedule at a presser, said that voting for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will be held in four phases—on October 23, October 29, November 4 and November 14—from 7 am to 6 pm.
Counting of votes for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will take place at the district headquarters on November 20, Singh said.
Likewise, elections for panch and sarpanch posts will be held on October 25 in the first phase, October 31 in the second, November 6 in the third and November 16 in the fourth phase. Counting of votes for these posts will be held immediately after polling at the respective Gram Panchayat headquarters, according to the SEC.
Polling for Deputy sarpanch posts will be held on October 26, November 1, November 7 and November 17 for the respective phases. Elections for Zila Pramukh will be held on November 25 and Up-Zila Pramukh on November 26. Panchayat Samiti Pradhans will be elected on November 27 and Up-Pradhans on November 28.
Elections are to be held across the state's 14,403 Gram Panchayats, 457 Panchayat Samitis, and 41 Zila Parishads. More than 4.03 crore voters will be eligible to exercise their franchise and 45,384 polling stations will be set up. Of the total eligible voters, 4,03,07,308 voters, 2,08,87,351 are men, 1,94,19,789 women and 168 third-gender voters as per official data.
With the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect in the state's rural areas. Consequently, the state government will no longer be able to announce new development projects for rural areas, nor can any new work orders be issued.
Elections to use both EVMs and ballot papers
During the press conference, Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh stated that the Commission is fully committed to implementing the 'One State, One Election' concept in the state.
Under this policy, elections for the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions are being held simultaneously. A hybrid model of voting will be observed this time. Elections for Sarpanch and Ward Panch will be conducted using ballot papers, whereas EVMs will be used for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members.
Since the statutory tenure of certain bodies in the Baran, Sri Ganganagar, Karauli, and Kota districts has not yet expired, elections there will be held after December 22, 2026.
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