Statutory Reference — Rules and Forms
Rajasthan Municipalities (Election) Rules, 1994 · as printed in the SEC's own 2026 manual
Source obtained 20 August 2026. Manual of Municipal Election Law, published by the State Election Commission, Rajasthan — ULB_Manual_Book_Election2026.pdf (182 pp), downloaded from the SEC's own Election Law page (
sec.rajasthan.gov.in/ElectionLaw.aspx), link titled "Manual Election Law ULB".Contents of that manual: Constitution extracts (pp 1–15) · Acts of Parliament incl. RP Act 1951 (pp 26–41) · Orders under the Constitution (pp 42–46) · Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 (pp 47–75) · Rajasthan Municipalities (Election) Rules, 1994 (pp 83–150) · Registration of Electors Order, 1974 (pp 151–166) · Election Petition Rules, 2009 (pp 167–172).
⚠️ The manual's own disclaimer: "Utmost care has been taken while compiling and printing this Manual, still in case of any query/doubt, kindly refer to the Official Gazette for original text of Act, Rule, Notification or Order." Treat this as an authoritative compilation, not as the Gazette.
Why this file exists. Until now every rule number in the training modules was quoted as cited inside an SEC circular — the rule text itself had never been read. It has now been read. This file records what the rules actually say, so trainers can answer "where does that come from?" from the law, not from a circular's paraphrase.
Devanagari ↔ English rule numbering: the circulars write क where the English text writes A, and ख where it writes B. So नियम 24-क = Rule 24A · 31-क = 31-A · 46-क = 46-A · 47-क = 47-A · 62-क = 62-A · 63-क = 63-A · 63-ख = 63-B · 64-क = 64-A · 74-क = 74-A. Form प्ररूप 14-ग = Form 14-C.
0-A. 🚨 THE 2026 AMENDMENT — obtained and verified from the Gazette (21.08.2026)
Primary source in hand. SEC letter एफ 1(1)(2)नपा/रानिआ/94/II/4789 dated 13.07.2026 to all District Election Officers, enclosing the Gazette notification — 4789_Rajasthan_Municipalities_Amendment_Act_2026.pdf (SEC site,
cm/upload/4789.pdf). Pages 2–3 are the Rajasthan Gazette Extraordinary itself, with the Authorised English Translation.
THE RAJASTHAN MUNICIPALITIES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2026 — Act No. 7 of 2026
| Governor's assent | 24 March 2026 |
| Notification | No. F.2(11)Vidhi/2/2026, Jaipur, 25 March 2026 |
| Published | Rajasthan Gazette Extraordinary, 27 March 2026, Part 4(क), p 672 |
| Commencement | "It shall come into force at once." |
| Signed | राघवेन्द्र काछवाल, Principal Secretary to the Government |
What it actually does — the operative text
2. Amendment of section 2. — In sub-clause (a) of clause (xix) of section 2 of the principal Act, the existing word and punctuation mark "leprosy," shall be deleted.
3. Amendment of section 24. — In section 24 of the principal Act, (i) the existing clause (xvii) shall be deleted; (ii) the existing clause (e) of proviso shall be deleted; and (iii) the existing Explanation shall be deleted.
Consequence — three things are now gone
| Provision as printed in the Manual | Status after Act 7 of 2026 |
|---|---|
| s.24(xvii) — "if he has more than two children" | ❌ DELETED |
| s.24 proviso (e) — not disqualified so long as the number of children held on 27 Nov 1995 does not increase | ❌ DELETED |
| s.24 Explanation — single delivery counted as one; adopted child not excluded; child of earlier delivery with a disability not counted | ❌ DELETED |
| s.2(xix)(a) — the word "leprosy," | ❌ DELETED |
🚨 This Manual is out of date on all four. It prints s.24(xvii), the proviso (e) and the Explanation as live law, with no deletion marker. Do not teach them.
⚠️ One precision the SEC's own covering letter does not make
Letter 4789 says the amendment of "धारा 2 एवं धारा 24" removed "संतान संबंधी प्रावधान" (the children-related provisions). The Gazette is narrower and more exact:
- the section 24 amendments are the children provisions; but
- the section 2 amendment deletes the word "leprosy," — it is not about children at all.
The DLMT training slide repeats the letter's looser wording. Say it precisely in training: section 24 removed the children provisions; section 2 removed "leprosy".
Not yet verified: what s.2(xix)(a) says. This Manual carries only extracts of the Act, and s.2 (Definitions) is not among them, so the surrounding text of that definition is not in hand. Obtain the full section 2 before stating what the leprosy deletion changes.
The candidate qualification position for ULB 2026, as now verified
| Qualification | Position | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age — 21 years | ✅ required; "he has attained the age of 21 years". 🚨 Reckoned on the DATE OF SCRUTINY — rule 13(1)(iii): "On the date and time fixed for scrutiny … declare invalid any nomination on … (iii) that the candidate has not attained the minimum age" | s.21(e); also s.24(x) proviso; reckoning date from rule 13(1)(iii), Manual printed p.88 |
| Educational qualification | ❌ removed — the Manual prints clause (f) as 2[(f) *** |
s.21(f) — ✅ footnote verified 21.08.2026, Manual PDF p.66: "Clause (f) deleted vide Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act No. 5 of 2019), published in Raj. Gaz. Part IV A dated 22-02-2019" |
| More than two children | ❌ removed | s.24(xvii), deleted by Act 7 of 2026 — see §0-A; ✅ the Hindi Gazette page re-read directly 21.08.2026, wording matches §0-A exactly |
| Functional sanitary toilet | ✅ still required — "he has functional sanitary toilet in the premises where he resides and no member of his family defecated in the open" | s.21(g) — live, with its Explanation |
✅ s.21 clauses (f) and (g) — provenance, read from the Manual's own footnotes (PDF p.66)
Clauses (f) and (g) were ADDED by the Rajasthan Municipalities (Second Amendment) Act, 2015, w.e.f. 21-07-2015, published Raj. Gaz. Part IV A dated 08-10-2015 Clause (f) was later DELETED by the Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Act, 2019 — Act No. 5 of 2019, published Raj. Gaz. Part IV A dated 22-02-2019 The deleted text was “he has passed secondary school examination of the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan or of an equivalent Board; and” Clause (g) survives the functional sanitary toilet qualification — it entered in 2015 and was not touched in 2019 💡 Worth saying in training: the education requirement and the toilet requirement arrived together in 2015. Only the education one was removed in 2019. Trainees who remember “the 2019 amendment removed the qualifications” often assume the toilet condition went with it. It did not.
🚨 For nomination scrutiny: a candidate must not be rejected for having more than two children, nor for want of educational qualification. The toilet qualification (s.21(g)) survives and still applies.
0. Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 — the two sections the circulars rely on
| Section | What it actually says |
|---|---|
| 26(1) | "At every election, where a poll is taken, votes shall be given by ballot in such manner as may be prescribed and no votes shall be received by proxy." |
| 26(2) | "Every elector shall have one vote. If an elector gives votes to more than one candidate then, at the time of counting of the votes, all votes given by him shall be rejected as void." → the statutory root of the rejection ground in [SO 157 पैरा 7(ग)]. |
| 26(3) | "Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or the rules made thereunder, the giving and recording of votes by voting machines, in such manner as may be prescribed, may be adopted in such ward or wards of any Municipality as the State Election Commission may, having regard to the circumstances of each case, specify." → the exact power exercised by SO 149/2026. Explanation: "voting machine" means any machine or apparatus, whether operated electronically or otherwise, used for giving or recording votes. |
| 25(5) | "No person shall vote at any election under this Act, if he is confined in a prison whether under a sentence or otherwise or is in the lawful custody of the police:" |
| 25(5) proviso | "Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall apply to a person subjected to preventive detention under any law for the time being in force." → why persons under preventive detention retain the franchise and are issued postal ballots, as stated in [2292 पैरा 11(3)(क)]. |
(Act extracts at manual pp 47–75; read from the English text.)
1. The gateway rule — how Chapter III-A works
Rule 77-A — Voting and Counting of votes by voting machines. In relation to voting and counting of votes, custody, inspection and disposal of election papers etc., where a voting machine is used —
- (a) the provisions of Chapter III apply mutatis mutandis, EXCEPT rules 30 to 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 44 to 50, 54, 62 to 64, 74 and 75, and any reference in those provisions to a ballot paper is construed as including a reference to the voting machine;
- (b) in lieu of rules 30–32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 44–50, 54, 62–64, 74 and 75, the corresponding -A rules apply.
This independently corroborates [2292 पैरा 2], which states that counting is governed by Rules 57–61 and 65–73 plus Chapter III-A's 46-A, 62-A, 63-B, 64-A — because 62–64, 74 and 75 are displaced while 57–61 and 65–73 are not.
2. Rules behind the EVM module
| Rule | What it actually says (abridged, wording from the manual) |
|---|---|
| 24A(2) Manner of voting | "Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), the giving and recording of votes by voting machines may be adopted in such ward or wards of any municipality as the State Election Commission may, having regard to the circumstances of each case, specify." — the exact power exercised by SO 149/2026. Explanation: "voting machine" means any machine or apparatus, whether operated electronically or otherwise, used for giving or recording votes. |
| 31-A Design | "Every electronic voting machine … shall have a control unit and a balloting unit and shall be of such designs as may be approved by the State Election Commission." |
| 32-A(a) Preparation by RO | The RO shall "fix the ballot paper containing the names and symbols of the contesting candidates and NOTA (none of the above) in the balloting unit and secure that unit with his seal and the seals of such of the contesting candidates or their election agents present as are desirous of affixing the same". → statutory basis for NOTA on the ballot unit and for the RO's sealing duty. |
| 32-A(b) | "set the number of contesting candidates and close the candidate set section". |
| 47-A(1) Sealing after poll | "As soon as practicable after the closing of the poll, the presiding officer shall close the control unit to ensure that no further votes can be recorded and shall detach the balloting unit from the control unit." |
| 47-A(2) | "The control unit and balloting unit shall thereafter be sealed and secured separately in such manner as the State Election Commission may direct and the seal used for securing them shall be so fixed that it will not be possible to open the units without breaking the seals." → the rule SO 145/2026 is made under. |
| 47-A(3) | "The polling agents or election agents or candidates present at the polling station, who desires to affix their seals, shall also be permitted to do so." → basis for [SO 145 पैरा 7]. |
| 49-A Accounts of votes recorded | "(1) The presiding officer shall at the close of the poll, prepare an account of votes recorded in Form 14-C. (2) … place it in a separate envelope and endorse on it the words 'Account of Votes Recorded'." |
| 50-A Transmission | The presiding officer delivers to the RO — (i) the voting machine, (ii) the account of votes in Form 14-C, (iii) the sealed packets under rule 48-A, (iv) all other papers used at the poll. |
| 55 Fresh poll | Fresh poll in case of obstruction or damage of ballot boxes etc. → the rule under which the Commission may stop counting / order a fresh poll [2292 पैरा 24]. |
3. Rules behind the Counting module
| Rule | What it actually says (abridged) |
|---|---|
| 57 Date, time, place | "The returning officer shall at least one week before the date fixed for the poll, appoint the place or places where the counting of votes will be done and the date and time at which counting will commence and shall give notice of the same in writing to each candidate or his election agent." Proviso: he may alter date/time/place after giving notice in writing to each candidate or election agent. |
| 58(1) Counting agents | A candidate or his election agent may, subject to SEC directions, appoint counting agents to remain present on his behalf. |
| 58(2) | "The number of counting agents that a candidate may appoint … shall not exceed the number of counting tables including that of the returning officer." |
| 58(3) | Appointment in Form 19 in duplicate — one copy forwarded to the RO, the other given to the counting agent for production before the RO not later than one hour before the time fixed for commencement of counting. |
| 58(4) | "No counting agent shall be admitted into the place fixed for counting unless he has delivered to the returning officer the second copy of his appointment … after duly completing and signing the declaration" contained in it. |
| 59 Counting staff | "Subject to the provision of rule 77, the returning officer may with the previous approval of the District Municipal Election Officer, appoint as many counting supervisors and counting assistants as may be needed." |
| 60(1) Admission | The RO shall exclude all persons except — (a) counting supervisors and counting assistants; (b) persons authorized by the State Election Commission; (c) public servants on duty in connection with the election; (d) candidates, their election agents and not more than one counting agent per counting table. |
| 60(2) Removal | Any person who misconducts himself or fails to obey the lawful directions of the RO may be removed by the RO, or any person, or any police officer authorised in this behalf by the RO. |
| 61 Secrecy | "Every officer, clerk, agent or other person who performs any duty in connection with the recording or counting of votes shall maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of voting and shall not communicate to any person any information calculated to violate such secrecy." |
| 62-A(1) Scrutiny | The RO may have the control units used at more than one polling station taken up for scrutiny and inspection and votes counted simultaneously. |
| 62-A(2) | Before votes in any control unit are counted, "the candidate or his election agent or his counting agent present at the counting table shall be allowed to inspect the paper seal and such other vital seals as might have been affixed on the unit and to satisfy themselves that the seals are intact." |
| 62-A(3) | "The returning officer shall satisfy himself that none of the voting machines has in fact been tampered with." |
| 62-A(4) | "If the returning officer is satisfied that any voting machine has in fact been tampered with he shall not count the votes recorded in that machine …" |
| 63-A(1) Counting | After being satisfied the machine has not been tampered with, the RO shall have the votes counted by pressing the button marked "Result", whereby total votes polled and votes polled by each candidate are displayed. |
| 63-A(2)(a) | "the number of such votes recorded separately in respect of each candidate and NOTA (none of the above) in Part-II of Form 14 C." |
| 63-A(2)(b) | "Part II of Form-14 C completed in other respects and signed by the counting supervisor and also by the candidates or their election agents or their counting agents." |
| 63-B(1) Sealing after counting | After the result is ascertained candidate-wise and entered in Part II of Form 14C and Form 21 under rule 63-A, the RO shall reseal the unit with his seal and the seals of such candidates or their election agents present who desire, "so however that the result of voting recorded in the unit is not obliterated and the unit retains the memory of such result". |
| 63-B(2) | The sealed control unit is kept in specially prepared boxes on which the RO records — (a) name of the municipality with ward number; (b) particulars of the polling station where the control unit was used; … |
| 64 Rejection | Grounds for rejecting a ballot paper — applied to postal ballots through 64-A. |
| 64-A(1) Postal papers | "Subject to general or specific direction given in this behalf by the State Election Commission, the provisions under rule 64 shall apply in relation to rejection of postal ballot papers referred to in sub-rule (4) of rule 46-A." Proviso: "postal ballot paper shall be rejected if recording of vote therein is not in accordance with the directions contained in Form 16 D." |
| 64-A(2) | The RO shall record the result of counting of votes received by post in the result sheet in Form 21 and announce the same. |
| 67(1)–(6) Recount | (1) After preparing the result sheet per rule 66, the RO announces the total votes polled by each candidate. (2) The candidate, or in his absence his counting agent, may apply in writing to recount wholly or in part, stating the grounds. (3) The RO shall decide and may allow it wholly or in part, or reject it if it appears to him to be frivolous and unreasonable. (4) "Every decision … shall be in writing and containing the reasons therefor." (5) If allowed, recount per rule 64, amend the result sheet and announce the amendment. (6) After announcement, the RO shall complete and sign the result sheet and no application for recounting shall be entertained thereafter. Proviso: no step under (6) until candidates and election agents present have been given a reasonable opportunity to exercise their right under (2). |
| 68 Declaration | When counting is completed the RO prepares a return of the results of the polling ward-wise. |
| 74-A(1) Production/inspection | While in the RO's custody, the packets of — (a) unused postal ballot papers with counterfoils; (b) used postal ballot papers whether valid, rejected or cancelled, and counterfoils; (c) used or unused tendered ballot papers; (d) marked copy of electoral roll; (e) register of voters in Form 14-A; (f) declarations by electors and attestation of signatures — "shall not be opened, inspected or produced except under the orders of a competent court." |
| 74-A(2) | "The control units sealed under rule 63-B and kept in the custody of the returning officer shall not be opened, inspected or produced except under the orders of a competent court." |
| 75-A Disposal | Subject to contrary direction by the SEC or a competent court — (a) packets of unused postal ballot papers and tendered ballot papers: retained six months, then destroyed as the SEC directs; (b) voting machines held under 74-A(2): retained intact for such period as the SEC may direct; (c) packets other than those in 74-A(1): retained one year, then destroyed — proviso: packets containing counterfoils of used postal ballot papers shall not be destroyed except with previous approval of the SEC; (d) all other papers: as the SEC directs. |
4. The complete form set for election-duty voting — Rule 46-A
This corrects and completes what the training modules previously carried. There are two distinct routes, and the modules previously described only the second.
Route 1 — Election Duty Certificate (in person) — Rule 46-A(1)–(3)
For a presiding officer, polling officer or other person on duty in the same ward in which he is a voter, at a polling station where he is not otherwise entitled to vote:
| Form | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Form 15 | Application to the RO to be allowed to vote at the polling station where on duty |
| Form 16 | The RO's certificate that the applicant is entitled to vote for that ward |
- Proviso: the RO shall mark "EDC" against the voter's name in the marked copy of the electoral roll and ensure he is not allowed to vote at the polling station where he would otherwise have voted.
- On production of the certificate the presiding officer shall (a) obtain the person's signature on it; (b) enter his name, electoral roll number, part number and polling station at the end of the marked copy of the electoral roll; (c) permit him to vote in the same manner as any voter at that station.
- 46-A(3): after the vote is recorded, the certificate is placed in an envelope and sealed by the presiding officer.
Route 2 — Postal ballot — Rule 46-A(4)
For a person on election duty in a ward of any municipality but who is a voter in a different ward or municipality:
- Application in Form 15A to the RO of the municipality where he is a voter, so as to reach that RO at least 4 days before the date of poll (or such shorter period as that RO may allow).
- If satisfied, the RO issues a postal ballot paper together with:
| Form | Purpose | Hindi in the circulars |
|---|---|---|
| Form 16A | Declaration | प्ररूप 16-क |
| Form 16B | Cover (the small/inner envelope, "क") | प्ररूप 16-ख / लिफाफा-क |
| Form 16C | Larger cover (the outer envelope, "ख") | प्ररूप 16-ग / लिफाफा-ख |
| Form 16D | Instructions for the voter | (not previously listed in the modules) |
- Proviso: the RO shall at the same time (a) record on the counterfoil the elector's roll number as entered in the marked copy; (b) mark the name of the voter in the marked copy of the electoral roll.
🚨 Why Form 16D matters: Rule 64-A(1) proviso makes it a ground of rejection — "a postal ballot paper shall be rejected if recording of vote therein is not in accordance with the directions contained in Form 16 D." The seven grounds in [SO 157 पैरा 7] therefore sit alongside this statutory proviso. Obtain Form 16D and attach it to the counting handbook.
5. Form index (as named in the Rules)
| Form | Subject |
|---|---|
| 14-A | Register of voters (the packets under 74-A(1)(e)) |
| 14-C | Account of votes recorded — Part I by the presiding officer at close of poll (Rule 49-A); Part II = result of counting (Rule 63-A) |
| 15 | Application for Election Duty Certificate |
| 15A | Application for a postal ballot by a voter on election duty |
| 16 | Election Duty Certificate |
| 16A | Declaration by the postal voter |
| 16B | Cover (inner) |
| 16C | Larger cover (outer) |
| 16D | Instructions for the voter |
| 19 | Appointment of counting agent (in duplicate) |
| 20 | Revocation of a counting agent's appointment |
| 21 | Result sheet |
| 22 | Declaration of result |
| 23 | Certificate of election |
6. What is still not verified from the Gazette
- This is the SEC's compilation, not the Gazette. Its own disclaimer says so (top of this file).
- Amendments after the manual's printing are not captured here — and this is not theoretical:
🚨 Demonstrated instance — Act s.24(xvii), the two-child disqualification. This Manual still prints s.24(xvii) ("if he has more than two children") as live law, together with its 27-November-1995 proviso and its Explanation — with no deletion marker, unlike s.21(f) which the same Manual correctly shows as
***. But the Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed and removed that disqualification (Gazette 25.03.2026; SEC letter 4789 dated 13.07.2026), as the DLMT training material correctly states. See DLMT_REVIEW §4.Rule to take from this: for anything turning on the current text of the Act, check the Gazette, not this Manual. Rule numbers and their subject matter have proved reliable; the currency of a provision has not.
Several rules also carry amendment footnotes (e.g. 63-A(2)(a) substituted by notification F.8(ga)/Rules/DLB/14 dated 11.07.14, Gazette 15-07-2014); anything later than this Manual's printing would not appear. 3. Rule 66 (preparation of the result sheet), referred to by Rule 67(1), has not been separately read. 4. The Act, 2009 (manual pp 47–75) has been located but not read — including the proviso to Section 25 cited for preventive-detention voting, and Section 26(3) cited by SO 149/2026. 5. The Hindi half of the manual is in a legacy non-Unicode font, so Hindi text extraction is unusable; all readings above are from the English text of the same manual.