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.