Raj Panchayat elections: Reservation lottery postponed, new dates after ULB poll process concludes
Jaipur, Sep 15 (IANS) The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Department has postponed the reservation lottery for Panchayati Raj elections that was scheduled for September 17 and 18.
The revised dates will be announced after the ongoing Urban Local Body election process, including the election of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons, is completed.
The Panchayati Raj Department has informed the State Election Commission that the lottery scheduled for September 17 and 18 will not be held on the previously announced dates. The immediate reason is the ongoing process related to the Urban Local Body elections.
District Collectors and other senior officials are currently engaged in election-related duties, making it difficult to conduct the reservation exercise for Panchayati Raj institutions simultaneously.
Under the original schedule, the reservation lottery for Zila Parishad members, Pradhans and Panchayat Samiti members was to be conducted on September 17.
The following day, September 18, was scheduled for the reservation lottery for Sarpanch and Ward Panch posts.
The lottery is crucial because it will determine the reservation status of different constituencies and posts, including those reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, women and other categories as applicable.
With the lottery postponed, prospective candidates will have to wait longer to know whether their respective seats will remain open or fall under a reserved category.
According to the communication sent to the State Election Commission, the new schedule for the reservation lottery will be finalised after the election process for chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the Urban Local Bodies is completed.
This means the Panchayati Raj election process will move forward only after the state completes the remaining stages of the civic elections.
The postponement is, therefore, primarily an administrative decision aimed at ensuring that district-level officials can complete their current election responsibilities before taking up the next major electoral exercise.
The reservation lottery is one of the most important milestones ahead of the Panchayati Raj elections. Until the lottery is completed, the reservation status of posts such as Zila Parishad members, Pradhans, Panchayat Samiti members, Sarpanchs and Ward Panchs will remain uncertain.
The delay is consequently likely to keep political aspirants and local leaders waiting before finalising their electoral plans.
Once the reservation list is released, prospective candidates and political parties are expected to accelerate preparations, identify candidates and begin local-level campaigning.
Rajasthan’s election calendar is now moving from one major local-body poll exercise to another.
While the Urban Local Body elections are currently being completed, preparations for the Panchayati Raj elections are expected to gather pace once the civic election process concludes.
For now, however, the reservation lottery has become the next crucial date on the political calendar. The new dates will determine when aspiring candidates can finally know where they stand and when Rajasthan’s next major grassroots electoral battle can move into full campaign mode.
–IANS
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