Rajasthan High Court Orders Municipality And Panchayat Elections On April 15, 2026
The Rajasthan High Court said that the delimitation process should be overseen by a three-member state-level committee.
Published : November 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM IST
Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court on Friday directed the state government to conduct Panchayat and Municipality elections on April 15, 2026. The court instructed that the delimitation process must be completed by December 31.
A division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjit Purohit, issued the order while delivering its verdict on 439 petitions filed in Jaipur and Jodhpur, including one from former MLA Sanyam Lodha.
The court reserved its decision on these petitions after hearing all parties on August 12. The court said that the delimitation process should be overseen by a three-member state-level committee, which will act based on a proposal submitted by the District Collector.
Additionally, the court refused to intervene in challenges to the delimitation process, dismissing petitions against the removal of Pradhans and Sarpanchs, as well as the appointment of administrators. The court emphasised that the delimitation process cannot be challenged again.
During the hearing, the court asked the Advocate General how many days after the delimitation the elections would be held, stressing that there should be no delay in conducting elections following the delimitation.
Petitioners, including Advocates Premchand Devanda, Laxmikant Malpura, and Rampratap Saini, argued that the state government had issued a notification on January 16 that prohibited Panchayat elections.
According to the Constitution and the Panchayati Raj Act, elections following the completion of a Panchayat’s five-year term cannot be delayed, even for a single day. Furthermore, since the outgoing Sarpanch has now become a private individual, the responsibilities of the Panchayat cannot be assigned to any private party.
Sanyam Lodha contended that, according to a Supreme Court order, elections can only be postponed in cases of a natural disaster. He also pointed out that the state government had overlooked its own guidelines regarding delimitation.
In response, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad, representing the state government, stated that the "One State, One Election" initiative is currently under consideration. A committee has been formed for this purpose, and following the abolition of several districts, the work of demarcating boundaries, reorganising panchayats, and delimiting municipalities is in progress. Additionally, under the Panchayati Raj Act, the government is authorised to appoint an administrator.
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