Constitutional breakdown, says Ashok Gehlot on delay in Rajasthan local body polls
Jaipur: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday accused the BJP-led state government of pushing Rajasthan towards a “constitutional crisis” by failing to conduct elections to Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies for over a year.
In a strongly worded statement, Gehlot said the delay and the appointment of government administrators in place of elected representatives reflect an “undemocratic mindset” and amount to a direct assault on democratic institutions.
“The failure to conduct timely elections is not merely an administrative lapse but a violation of constitutional provisions. Articles 243E and 243U clearly mandate five-year tenures and timely elections for Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies, while Article 243K entrusts this responsibility to an independent State Election Commission,” he said.
“When a government persistently violates Articles 243E, 243U, and 243K of the Constitution, curtails the citizens’ franchise for over a year, and defies the explicit directives of the Court, it constitutes not merely an administrative failure, but a clear instance of ‘Constitutional Breakdown’, he added.
Gehlot further alleged that the state government attempted to defer elections on grounds such as delimitation, reorganisation, and the ‘One State, One Election’ initiative, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Vikas Kishanrao Gawali (2021) case, which held that such reasons cannot justify the postponement of polls.
He also pointed out that despite repeated directions from the Rajasthan High Court in 2025, the government failed to act.
“The Rajasthan High Court issued repeated directives in February, March, and November 2025; yet, the government disregarded them on every occasion. Ultimately, while delivering a consolidated verdict on 439 petitions, the Court set a final deadline of April 15, 2026. The Supreme Court’s subsequent dismissal of the Special Leave Petition (SLP), thereby upholding this order, serves as proof that the judiciary has made its stance unequivocally clear; however, a distinct lack of seriousness remains evident on the part of the government,” he said.
“Even after a final deadline of April 15, 2026, was set and the Supreme Court upheld the order by dismissing the SLP, the government’s lack of seriousness remains evident,” he said.
Calling the situation a “constitutional breakdown”, Gehlot said prolonged denial of voting rights and disregard for judicial directives undermine the very foundation of democracy. “The spirit of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, decentralisation and local self-governance, is being trampled upon. Democracy is not just about power, but accountability to the Constitution,” he added.
Gehlot asserted that the people of Rajasthan “will not silently accept the violation of their rights”.