TNI Bureau: In preparation for the upcoming Panchayat elections, the Panchayati Raj Department has issued a directive to all district collectors to finalize the reservation of seats by the end of April 2026. The move aims to streamline the electoral process and ensure timely submission of reports to the State Election Commission.

According to the guidelines, reservations will be determined for key posts including Ward Members, Sarpanches, Panchayat Samiti Members, and Zilla Parishad Members. For Ward Members, Sarpanches, and Samiti Members, objections to the provisional reservation list must be submitted by April 17.

Hearings on these objections will be conducted by April 24, and the final reservation list will be published by April 29. Similarly, for Zilla Parishad Members, objections can be filed until April 17, with hearings scheduled to conclude by April 27. The final list, after government approval, will be submitted to the Election Commission by April 30.

For the position of Zilla Parishad Chairperson, the draft notification will be released on April 13, followed by the final notification on April 29.

The reservation policy will adhere to existing norms, keeping total reservations within 50 percent. A provision of up to 27 percent reservation will be allocated for backward classes, while women will be allotted 50 percent of the total seats.

This structured timeline is expected to ensure transparency and efficiency in the reservation process ahead of the Panchayat elections.