Rajasthan Panchayat Elections Phase 2 Voting Underway in 22 Districts Today

Rajasthan is voting today. The second phase of the Panchayati Raj Elections 2026 started at 7 AM sharp across 22 districts and will continue till 6 PM. Today’s polling is for 352 Zila Parishad and 2,197 Panchayat Samiti wards.

More than 8,257 candidates are in the fray this time - 984 for Zila Parishad and 7,273 for Panchayat Samiti seats. Big districts like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Alwar, Bikaner, Udaipur, Sikar, Nagaur and Kota are going to polls today. While it’s a direct fight between BJP and Congress, parties like RLP and Bharat Adivasi Party are also trying to make their mark in rural Rajasthan.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma appealed to the people to come out and vote in large numbers. Sharing a message on X, he said “Pehle Matdan, Phir Jalpaan” - cast your vote first, then have breakfast. He said strong panchayats are the foundation of a strong Rajasthan.

The morning, however, did not start smoothly everywhere. Faulty EVMs delayed voting at a few booths in Ajmer, Jodhpur and Jhunjhunu. In Jhunjhunu’s Nawalgarh area, polling had to be stopped right after the first vote when the machine developed a snag. Officials replaced it later.

But the story that has grabbed national attention is from Phase 1. Social media influencer Omprakash Bishnoi, who has over 26 lakh followers on Instagram and Facebook, managed to get only 33 votes in the Sarpanch election at In indon ki dhani - second Gram Panchayat in Phalodi. The result has gone viral and triggered a big debate - does online fame actually convert into real votes?

The first phase was held on October 22 and 24. Panch and Sarpanch results were declared the same night, while Zila Parishad results will be declared on November 20.

With over 4.03 crore voters eligible in four phases, this is one of the biggest rural elections in Rajasthan’s history.