Jaipur, July 10 -- The Rajasthan State Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission has announced that it will conduct a statewide door-to-door survey from July 10 to July 23 to collect data for determining OBC political reservation in local bodies, a mandatory step before the long-delayed Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections can be conducted. The exercise is expected to push the election schedule further, with the State Election Commission already stating that it would require at least 90 days after receiving the OBC Commission's report to complete the electoral process. The commission has also requested the government not to transfer officials and employees engaged in the survey until it is completed, saying any disruption could affect the preparation of its final recommendations. According to an official communication issued by the Rajasthan State OBC Commission, survey teams will visit every household across the state between July 10 and July 23 to collect online data required for assessing OBC political representation in municipalities and Panchayati Raj institutions. The survey forms part of the "Triple Test" mandated by the Supreme Court before political reservation for OBCs can be implemented in local body polls. Once the field survey is completed, the data will be compiled, verified and analysed before the commission prepares its final recommendations for the state government. Even if the report is submitted by the end of July, the election schedule is unlikely to conclude before October, pushing the polls well beyond the high court's July 31 deadline. The OBC commission has requested that district-appointed nodal officers, assistant nodal officers, reference persons and enumerators remain at their current postings until the survey concludes. In a letter dated July 8, commission secretary (advisor) Ashok Kumar Jain said the survey is being undertaken in compliance with directions of the Rajasthan high court. The exercise aims to gather scientific data regarding the social and political backwardness of OBC communities, which will form the basis of the commission's recommendations on political reservation in municipalities and Panchayati Raj institutions. State urban development and housing minister Jhabar Singh Kharra maintained that the state government has completed all administrative formalities related to the elections, including delimitation and ward restructuring, which were finalised in March 2026. He said the next step now rests entirely with the State Election Commission and the Rajasthan State OBC Commission, both constitutional bodies responsible for completing the legal process before elections can be announced. "The government has completed everything within its jurisdiction. The election schedule now depends on the constitutional process being carried out by the Election Commission and the OBC Commission," Kharra said. The controversy has escalated after ex-MLA Sanyam Lodha filed a contempt petition in the Rajasthan High Court, alleging non-compliance with the court's directive to conduct elections by July 31. The petition has named both the state government and officials of the State Election Commission as respondents....