Now Reading: Rajasthan SEC bars government employees as polling agents
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Rajasthan SEC bars government employees as polling agents
Jaipur: The State Election Commission has barred government employees, elected local body members, MLAs, MLCs, ministers, and staff of government-aided institutions from serving as polling agents for the 2026 Panchayati Raj elections.…
Jaipur: The State Election Commission has barred government employees, elected local body members, MLAs, MLCs, ministers, and staff of government-aided institutions from serving as polling agents for the 2026 Panchayati Raj elections. The restriction covers part-time workers, Anganwadi workers, healthcare staff, and fair-price shop dealers.
The commission said the move ensures equal opportunities among candidates. Under Rule 69 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Election) Rules 1994, any voter in the panchayat area can be appointed as a polling agent, subject to eligibility. Candidates may revoke an agent's appointment before polling begins.
State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh said the SEC is awaiting reservation-lottery data from the Panchayati Raj Department before finalising the phased election programme. He cautioned against rumours and said the election schedule will be announced soon.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The SEC's restriction removes a long-standing practice where ruling party candidates often appointed government employees as polling agents, giving them an information advantage. The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act assigns the SEC the power to prescribe disqualifications for polling agents, and this order uses that authority. The exclusion of panch-level polling agents means the candidate themselves will act as the agent, a departure from the sarpanch-level process. The next concrete step is the SEC publishing the reservation-lottery data, which will determine which seats are reserved for women, SC, ST, and OBC categories. That data triggers the election schedule and candidate nomination calendar.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
