Local bodies polls to be held by April next year, Rajasthan govt assures SC

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) The Rajasthan government on Friday assured the Supreme Court that panchayat and municipal corporation polls in the state will be held by April next year.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi refused to interfere with the Rajasthan High Court order directing that polls be held by April 2026.

It disposed of a plea by Congress leader and former legislator Sanyam Lodha, who sought immediate conduct of municipal polls, while alleging unwarranted delay in holding the elections to the local bodies.

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the state government, said the ongoing delimitation exercise is nearing completion, and the polls for local bodies will be held within the deadline fixed by the high court.

CJI Kant said at this stage there was no reason to doubt the assurance given by the state government, and if the poll is delayed for whatever reason, the parties can approach the high court.

"It seems to us that the delimitation exercise is nearing completion, and the high court has issued directions to complete the exercise by April 15, 2026. We see no reason to entertain this SLP (Special Leave Petition)," the bench said, as it refused to interfere with the November 14 order of the Rajasthan high court.

On November 14, the high court directed the state government to conduct the pending panchayat and municipal elections together and complete the entire process by April 15 next year.

It had asked authorities to finish the delimitation exercise for both the bodies by December 31, while dismissing a batch of petitions challenging the reorganisation and delimitation of panchayats, as well as pleas against the removal of pradhans and sarpanches who were reappointed as administrators.

The state will hold elections in over 11,000 gram panchayats and 309 urban local bodies. Former MLA Sanyam Lodha and others had argued that postponing elections violated provisions of the Constitution and the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994. PTI MNL MNL NSD NSD