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. Once disclosed, the Model Code of Conduct will automatically come into force throughout the state’s rural areas.

Phased voting plan

Officials have indicated that the poll will be conducted in four phases, although the exact dates for each phase will be confirmed only after the official release.

Nomination schedule

District collectors are expected to issue formal election notifications around 5‑6 October. Following the issuance, the nomination window is likely to open shortly thereafter. The commission’s comprehensive programme will detail all critical dates, including filing of nominations, scrutiny, withdrawals and the actual polling days.

Voting methods

Different tiers of posts will use distinct voting mechanisms. Sarpanch and ward‑panch candidates will be elected via paper ballots, while members of Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads will be chosen through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The statutory reservation of 50 % for women in all Panchayati Raj bodies remains unchanged.

Scale of the exercise

Approximately 1.69 lakh representatives will be elected across Rajasthan. The breakdown is as follows:

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

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

Reservation snapshot

Women’s reservation stays at 50 % across every level. Specific allocations include:

  • ~7,200 sarpanch seats reserved for women
  • ~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)

For ward‑panch posts, the reservation distribution is:

  • 21,962 seats for SC
  • 19,117 seats for ST
  • ≈15,000 seats for OBC

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

What comes next

The definitive polling dates and phase‑wise arrangement will be confirmed once the Rajasthan State Election Commission releases the full election schedule.