Major changes have taken place ahead of the Panchayat elections in Rajasthan. The state government has lifted the disqualification of having “more than two children” for contesting Panchayat elections. Now no one will be prohibited from participating in elections on this basis.
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According to the Gazette notification published on March 25, 2026, the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act has been amended. After this, the rule on disqualifying a candidate for having more than two children was abolished.
With this change, now the number of children will not be taken into account while deciding the eligibility of candidates for Panchayat elections. It is believed that this decision could have a wide impact in the upcoming Panchayat elections as earlier many potential candidates could not contest the elections just because of this rule.
Panchayat elections may be held in September-November
Panchayat and municipal body elections in Rajasthan could be held between September and November 2026, according to media reports. This is indicated by a petition filed by the state government in the Rajasthan High Court. The government has asked the court to extend the elections until July 31.
The government said in its petition that the report on political reservation is yet to be received from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission. About 50 percent of the state’s population belongs to the OBC category. In such a situation, it would be inappropriate to hold elections without fixing reservations. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate additional time for holding elections.
The government also cited a letter from the State Election Commission. According to the commission, once the reservation related information is received from the government, it will take around 90 days to complete the election process. The commission has sought 40 days to conduct municipal elections in two phases and 50 days to conduct elections to Panchayati Raj institutions in four phases.
The government’s reply states that if information regarding reservation is received by the Election Commission by August 31, then panchayat and civic elections can be held between September and November.
Earlier, the Rajasthan High Court had directed the government and the state Election Commission to conduct elections by July 31 under any circumstances. Moreover, the OBC commission has also been asked to submit its report by June 20.
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