Jaipur: The prolonged delay in holding elections to Rajasthan’s urban local bodies (ULBs) and Panchayati Raj institutions, despite the expiry of their five-year terms, has reached the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter today.
The petition has been filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha through a Special Leave Petition (SLP), challenging a Rajasthan High Court order issued last month that allowed the state government additional time to conduct the elections. Lodha has sought the apex court’s intervention for immediate polls, citing constitutional violations.
According to the petition, the Constitution mandates that elections to local bodies must be held before or immediately after the completion of their five-year tenure. However, instead of conducting elections, the state government has appointed administrators, a move the petitioner argues is in clear violation of the Constitution and binding Supreme Court directions.
The plea states that the terms of 52 urban local bodies expired over a year ago, yet elections have not been conducted, undermining the constitutional framework governing local self-government.
On November 14, the Rajasthan High Court directed the state government to conduct municipal elections by April 15, 2026. Lodha has contended before the Supreme Court that the High Court erred in granting such an extension despite clear constitutional and statutory mandates.
The petition further argues that appointing administrators in place of elected representatives runs contrary to the 74th Constitutional Amendment. It also cites Sections 7 and 11 of the Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009, which, according to the petitioner, do not permit any extension of a municipal body’s term beyond its expiry.
Lodha has submitted that postponing elections erodes democratic governance, weakens accountability in the implementation of welfare schemes, and causes daily inconvenience to citizens, leading to systemic damage.
Alleging a deliberate and malicious delay in holding municipal elections, the petition asserts that elections to urban local bodies cannot be postponed indefinitely under any law. It urges the Supreme Court to exercise its powers under Article 136 of the Constitution and intervene without further delay.
The plea also states that the High Court, while delivering its judgment on November 14, failed to adequately consider the provisions of the Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009, and binding Supreme Court precedents mandating timely elections, including cases where the apex court directed immediate polls in states such as Punjab.
(IANS)
