Jaipur, August 19: The Rajasthan State Election Commission is set to announce the election schedule for all 309 urban local bodies in the state on Wednesday. With this announcement, the model code of conduct will be implemented immediately and will remain in effect until the election process is completed.
State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh will reveal the election schedule during a press conference.
Once the model code is in place, the government will not be allowed to announce new development projects in urban areas where elections are taking place. No new work orders can be issued, nor can new projects be initiated. However, ongoing development works based on existing approvals will continue. The inauguration and foundation-laying ceremonies for new projects will also be prohibited during the model code’s enforcement.
Elections will be held for 10,245 councilor seats across the 309 urban local bodies, which include 10 municipal corporations, 51 municipal councils, and 248 municipalities.
The elections for councilor positions will take place first, followed by the elections for mayors, municipal council presidents, and municipality chairpersons.
The positions of mayors and chairpersons in the 309 urban local bodies have been reserved for different categories. There are 60 seats reserved for OBCs, 50 for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 11 for Scheduled Tribes (ST). A total of 3,356 seats are reserved for women, ensuring a 33 percent reservation across all categories. Among the 10,245 wards, 1,933 are reserved for OBCs, 1,794 for SCs, and 395 for STs. There are 6,123 unreserved wards, which include 4,120 open seats and 2,003 reserved for women.
These elections are being conducted following directives from the Rajasthan High Court, which expressed concern over delays in urban local body and panchayat elections and instructed that elections be completed by November 15.
The court also mandated that the reservation lottery process be completed by August 15. The local self-government department has finalized the lottery process for the reservation of positions and wards, sending the details to the state election commission.
The implementation of the model code of conduct is expected to impact the government’s legislative plans. Due to the restrictions of the model code, the likelihood of passing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill and proposed legislation related to the protection of khejri trees during the upcoming assembly session is low.
The monsoon session is set to begin on Thursday and will last for two days. Both bills may be presented during this session, while the government may consider reconvening the assembly in November to complete the legislative process once the election-related restrictions are lifted.
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