Jaipur, July 18 -- State election commissioner Rajeshwar Singh on Friday said that determining reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and women is the responsibility of the state government, not the State Election Commission. His remarks came a day after the Rajasthan high court criticized the SEC over the delay in conducting Panchayat Raj and urban local body elections. "The day the government completes the category-wise reservation process for wards and posts, the State Election Commission will issue the election notification within two days," Singh said. On Thursday, a division bench of the Rajasthan high court expressed strong displeasure over the prolonged delay in conducting Panchayat Raj and municipal elections and directed the state government to prepare an election schedule by July 20. During the hearing, the court also questioned the state election commissioner over the delay and asked why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him. Clarifying the Commission's stand, Singh said that any decision on OBC reservation without waiting for the report of the Rajasthan OBC Commission also falls within the jurisdiction of the state government. "The Commission will discharge its constitutional responsibility of conducting elections only after the government completes the reservation process," he said. According to Singh, he placed three key submissions before the high court during Thursday's virtual hearing. First, the state government has the authority to decide reservations even without the OBC Commission's report. Second, the SEC will announce the election programme within two days after the government finalises category-wise reservations for wards and posts. Third, the hearing primarily concerned the respective roles of the state government and the OBC Commission. Singh said the high court directed the OBC Commission to submit its report within the stipulated time, asked the state government to complete the reservation exercise, and thereafter directed the SEC to announce the election schedule. All stakeholders have been asked to appear before the court on July 20 with their respective action plans. He also urged the media to report the issue accurately. "News should have flavour, but not so much that it loses its original essence," he remarked. The high court on Thursday also sought an explanation from the state election commissioner on the basis for seeking an additional 90 days to conduct the elections. The issue triggered a political row, with the opposition accusing the BJP government of deliberately delaying the elections. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on X said it was "deeply shameful" that the high court had to observe that if the election commission was unable to conduct the polls, the judges themselves would do so. He alleged that the government's failure to provide reservation-related data to the SEC reflected its unwillingness to hold elections and amounted to weakening constitutional institutions. Hitting back, the state BJP's Ramlal Sharma said, "The BJP is ready to hold the elections. We are only awaiting the OBC Commission's report. However, the Congress wants the polls to be held without giving OBCs and other backward classes their due representation. The BJP is committed to ensuring every section of society gets its rightful representation."...