| Voting for the first phase of Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj elections began at 7 am on Thursday, 22 October 2026, with polling scheduled to continue until 6 pm. More than 85 lakh eligible voters are expected to elect representatives to 16 Zila Parishads and 104 Panchayat Samitis across the state.
A total of 6,926 candidates are contesting 2,081 seats in this phase, comprising 293 Zila Parishad wards and 1,788 Panchayat Samiti wards. Of these, 1,693 candidates are contesting Zila Parishad seats, while 5,233 are in the fray for Panchayat Samiti membership. Authorities have established 9,886 polling stations, and voting for both tiers is being conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The first phase covers Ajmer, Alwar, Barmer, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Phalodi, Rajsamand, Sirohi and Udaipur districts. The main contest is between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, with the Bharat Adivasi Party, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and independent candidates also contesting in several constituencies.
The State Election Commission has scheduled the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti member elections in four phases. Following a revision announced on 6 October, polling dates are 22 October, 28 October, 3 November and 14 November. The first three phases were advanced by one day in view of religious sentiments associated with Dhanteras, while the fourth-phase schedule remained unchanged.
Elections for sarpanch and ward panch posts are scheduled for 24 October, 30 October, 5 November and 16 November. Counting for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti member elections across all phases is scheduled for 20 November.
The statewide election covers 41 Zila Parishads, 457 Panchayat Samitis and 14,403 Gram Panchayats. The election process will determine representation across rural local bodies in Rajasthan.
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