Rajasthan Govt, SEC Clash Over ‘One Nation One Election’; Civic & Panchayat Polls Timeline Uncertain

The conflict between the Rajasthan government and the State Election Commission has picked up pace on 'One Nation One Election'. The government is announcing that it will hold the elections of panchayats and civic bodies together under One Nation One Election. Meanwhile, the State Election Commissioner has made it clear that, according to the directions of the High Court, he will hold the elections shortly. On Thursday, the State Election Commission can also issue directives on panchayat and civic polls.

State Election Commissioner Madhukar Gupta, citing the instructions of the High Court, is saying that elections will be held within two months in those urban bodies and panchayat institutions whose term has been completed or is about to be completed. Not only this, Gupta also said that at present it is not possible to conduct elections under 'One State, One Election'. On the other hand, UDH Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra, while reacting, said that the state government will conduct elections for all 309 urban bodies simultaneously in December 2025. He clarified that the government has time till February as per the orders of the High Court, but the state government is in favor of holding elections in December itself. On the question of the commission releasing the program, Kharra said, "If the commission releases the election program, then we will see accordingly. We will do what we have to do. The commission will do what it has to do." However, Kharra admitted that implementing 'One State, One Election' in Panchayati Raj institutions is challenging, because the tenure of these institutions is ending in different years (2026 and 2027). Due to this, it does not seem practical to conduct elections simultaneously.

Kharra said that the ward delimitation work of urban bodies has been completed. The notification of delimitation will be issued in the next one or two days or within a maximum of one week. After this, preparations for the elections will be expedited. The State Election Commission may issue guidelines regarding civic and panchayat elections on Thursday. This may include important information related to voter list updates, election preparations, and the schedule.