Jaipur: Former Congress MLA Sanyam Lodha Tuesday sent legal notices to the state govt and senior officials over the postponement of the reservation lottery for Rajasthan’s Panchayati Raj institutions, warning that he would file a fresh contempt petition if the process was not completed immediately.The govt had scheduled the lottery for pradhans, Panchayat Samiti members, Zila Parishad members, sarpanches and ward panchs on Aug 17. However, it was deferred on the evening of Aug 16. Under the revised schedule, the lottery for pradhans, Panchayat Samiti members and Zila Parishad members will be held on Sept 17, while that for sarpanches and ward panchs will take place on Sept 18.The reservation lottery for heads and wards of 309 urban local bodies and 41 district heads has already been completed.Lodha told TOI that he had sent notices to the Chief Secretary, State Election Commissioner, Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayati Raj) and Panchayati Raj commissioner.“Postponing the lottery amounts to disobedience of the Rajasthan High Court’s directions,” Lodha said, adding that he would approach the court with a contempt petition if the process was not completed immediately.The dispute is linked to a long-running case over delays in elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies. The high court had initially directed the state govt and State Election Commission to complete the local-body election process by April 15, 2026. The deadline was missed, leading Lodha and others to initiate contempt proceedings.On May 22, the high court fixed July 31 as a fresh deadline after considering the state’s request for more time. That deadline was also missed.Lodha alleged that the latest postponement was contrary to the timeline placed before the court and warned of further legal action.
