Rajasthan Panchayat and Zila Parishad Elections 2026

Jaipur The biggest festival of democracy has begun in the rural areas of Rajasthan. The State Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Panchayati Raj Elections 2026.

With the announcement of the elections, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in rural Rajasthan.

Elections will be held for 41 Zila Parishads, 457 Panchayat Samitis and 14,403 Gram Panchayats. More than 4 crore 3 lakh voters of the state will exercise their right to vote.

Complete Election Schedule

According to the State Election Commission, the elections will be held in four phases.

Voting for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti Members

• First Phase 22 October 2026

• Second Phase 28 October 2026

• Third Phase 3 November 2026

• Fourth Phase 14 November 2026

Voting for Sarpanch and Ward Panch

• First Phase 24 October 2026

• Second Phase 30 October 2026

• Third Phase 5 November 2026

• Fourth Phase 16 November 2026

The voting time will be from

7 AM to 6 PM.

There will be a public holiday in the respective area on the day of polling.

Total Posts for Election

A total of 1 lakh 69 thousand representatives will be elected in this election process:

Zila Parishad Members: 1,403 posts

Panchayat Samiti Members 8,245 posts

Sarpanch: 14,403 posts

Ward Panch: 1,30,584 posts

The elected Zila Parishad members will elect 41 Zila Pramukhs, while the Panchayat Samiti members will elect 457 Pradhans.

Voting Process

Two types of voting processes will be adopted in the election. The election of Sarpanch and Ward Panch will be conducted through ballot paper, while the election of Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will be conducted through EVMs.

Nomination Process

• Public Notice 8 October 2026

• Last date for filing nomination: 13 October (from 11 AM to 3 PM)

• Scrutiny of nomination papers 14 October

• Last date for withdrawal of candidature 15 October

Counting Date

The counting of votes for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti member elections will be held on 20 November 2026 from 8 AM onwards. The counting of votes for Sarpanch and Ward Panch will be done immediately after the polling ends at the respective Gram Panchayat headquarters.

Why This Election is Important

The Panchayat election is considered the foundation of rural development. The opportunity to elect the village government comes every 5 years. This election decides the leadership for basic facilities like development, water, roads, education and health in the villages.

The administration has completed all preparations for fair and peaceful elections.