"Farmers will teach BJP a lesson in Rajasthan Panchayat polls": Ashok Gehlot

The Rajasthan State Election Commission announced that the 2026 Panchayati Raj elections will take place in four phases from October 23 to November 28, 2026.

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that farmers in the state are unhappy with the governance of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and that the BJP will face a setback in the Panchayat polls. "They said that farmers work for only 25 days. CM should not have said this. Farmers across the state are unhappy with this. They will teach a lesson in this election, and I am confident that Congress will get a strong mandate," Gehlot said.

The Rajasthan State Election Commission announced that the 2026 Panchayati Raj elections will take place in four phases from October 23 to November 28, 2026. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force following the announcement of the election schedule.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, meanwhile, recently said that villages, farmers, women and youth remain at the centre of the state government's development agenda. Addressing Panchayati Raj representatives in Jaipur on October 2, Sharma highlighted measures related to farmer welfare, rural infrastructure and development. The Chief Minister said the state government had increased the amount under the Kisan Samman Nidhi to Rs 9,000 and that more than Rs 14,400 crore had been provided to over 76 lakh farmers. He also said the government was working towards providing daytime electricity to farmers across the state by 2027.

The upcoming Panchayat elections are expected to bring the focus of the BJP-Congress contest to rural issues, including farmers, employment, local development and implementation of government schemes. (ANI)