Jaipur: Rajasthan State Election Commission has asked the Panchayati Raj Department and the Local Self-Govt department to urgently finalise reservation of seats and posts for local bodies, a key step before announcing the 2026 elections.The directive follows a Rajasthan High Court order dated May 22, 2026, which required the entire process of holding general elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies to be completed by July 31, 2026.In letters to both departments, the commission cited the court order and said the reservation exercise must be completed quickly to meet the deadline.It noted that under Rules 5 and 6 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Election Rules, 1994, the state govt is responsible for determining reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and women.The commission asked the Panchayati Raj Department to complete the process at the earliest and inform it, so the election schedule for Panchayati Raj institutions can be announced without delay.A similar process is required for urban local bodies as the Commission prepares to ensure timely elections across the state in compliance with the High Court’s order.