Rajasthan Panchayat Polls: 70% Turnout in Third Phase as Two Villages Boycott Over Delimitation

Voting for the third phase of Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj elections was held on Tuesday, with an estimated 70 per cent of voters turning out at 11,869 polling stations spread across 27 districts, according to figures recorded at the end of the day.

This phase covered 116 village bodies and was held to elect members of zila parishads and panchayat samitis, the district and block-level tiers of the state's three-tier Panchayati Raj system. Gram panchayats, the village-level tier, are elected separately.

The districts that went to the polls were Banswara, Baran, Balotra, Beawar, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, Dausa, Didwana-Kuchaman, Deeg, Dholpur, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jalore, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Khairthal-Tijara, Kotputli-Behror, Pratapgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Salumbar, Sikar, Tonk and Udaipur.

Polling was boycotted in two villages over the redrawing of panchayat boundaries. Residents of Nagla Singhara in Bharatpur district and Nagla Kishore Singh in Deeg district stayed away from the booths, protesting that their areas had been included in different village panchayats. The villagers alleged that the delimitation exercise was carried out under political pressure. The boycott was reported from these two villages.

Delimitation is the process of fixing ward and panchayat boundaries ahead of local body polls, so that seats reflect changes in population and representation remains balanced. Residents who object to draft proposals can raise their concerns with the authorities before the exercise is finalised. Boundary disputes can arise when villages are split or merged for the purpose of reserving seats and ensuring fair representation.

The first and second phases of polling were held on October 22 and October 28 respectively, while the fourth phase is scheduled for November 14.

Panchayati Raj institutions are constitutional bodies, given formal recognition by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992. The amendment mandated regular elections to the three tiers of local government and reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. Elected members of zila parishads and panchayat samitis choose the chairpersons of these bodies and take part in district and block-level planning and spending on rural development, health, education and infrastructure.

Turnout figures released on polling day are provisional and are often revised once data from all booths is compiled. Detailed ward-wise and body-wise numbers for the third phase are expected after the figures are consolidated.