Jaipur, April 1 (IANS) Rajasthan Minister of State for Urban Development and Local Self-Government (Independent Charge), Jhabar Singh Kharra, on Wednesday said the state government is keen to conduct elections to urban local bodies at the earliest.
He said the government is fully prepared to hold these elections while complying with all required legal formalities.
Launching a sharp attack on the Congress state president, Kharra alleged that the latter is making baseless statements regarding the elections and should introspect before doing so. He added that during his tenure, the electoral process was reduced to a farce, yet he is now issuing unwarranted remarks and advice.
Kharra said that preparatory work for the urban local body elections had already been completed in September 2025 and the necessary notifications had been issued. He further stated that a Special Leave Petition (SLP) had been filed in the Supreme Court in the matter.
However, before the Supreme Court could deliver its verdict, the High Court pronounced its judgment in the case concerning the Nokha Municipality. The judgment clarified that Section 10 of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act empowers the state government to alter boundaries, reorganise, and undertake delimitation of urban local bodies. As a result, there is now no legal obstacle to conducting elections across 309 urban local bodies.
He added that the report of the State Backward Classes Commission is still pending, and until it is submitted, reservation benefits for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) cannot be implemented.
Kharra recalled that this issue had been raised earlier in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly by the Congress state president and other leaders. At that time, he had said that if they wished to proceed with elections without OBC reservations, they should submit a written request, upon which the government would consider an appropriate decision.
However, no such request has been received so far from the Congress or any other political party.
Kharra emphasised that both the State Election Commission and the State Backward Classes Commission are independent constitutional bodies. He assured that once both institutions give their decisions, the state government will promptly initiate further action and proceed with conducting the elections accordingly.
--IANS
arc/pgh