Rajasthan Panchayat Polls: 8.5 Million Voters to Elect 3,314 Sarpanchs, 28,682 Ward Panchs in First Phase

Polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with election officials setting up 9,886 polling stations to facilitate voting. Counting is scheduled to begin after polling concludes, and results are expected on the same day, although the process may continue late into the night.

Unlike previous elections for these posts, when Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used, voters will cast their votes using ballot papers this time. Each voter will receive two ballots — one to elect a Sarpanch and another to choose a Ward Panch.

The use of ballot papers is expected to make the counting process more time-consuming. Officials will count votes for Ward Panch candidates first, followed by those for Sarpanch candidates. Closely contested seats, recount requests and disputes could further delay the declaration of results.

The elections are not being held on party symbols, and political parties are not issuing official tickets. However, local political alignments, village-level rivalries and individual candidates' support bases are expected to influence the contests.

Barmer district has the highest number of candidates in the first phase, with 419 contestants for Sarpanch posts and 3,029 candidates for Ward Panch positions.

In Jodhpur district's Balesar Panchayat Samiti, candidates and their supporters were seen arriving to file nominations on Friday.

The election for Deputy Sarpanch posts is scheduled for October 25. The elected Ward Panchs will choose the Deputy Sarpanch, and general voters will not directly participate in this election.

Meanwhile, Bikaner District Election Officer Nishant Jain has issued notices to 28 employees for allegedly remaining absent from their assigned election duties. The employees have been directed to submit their explanations within three days.