Rajasthan Current Affairs 8 September 2026

Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 8 September 2026, prepared for the RPSC RAS examination and other Rajasthan government examinations. Campaigning has closed across most of the state ahead of the first phase of Rajasthan’s first simultaneous urban local body elections on 9 September, with 77 councillor seats already decided unopposed across 309 civic bodies and 10,245 councillor posts, and Jaipur voting in the second phase on 11 September. The Supreme Court on 7 September set a final deadline of 30 November for the Aravalli Hills expert panel, refusing a six-month extension, and directed a consultation covering tribal communities in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The India Meteorological Department has flagged isolated to scattered rainfall over east Rajasthan through 13 September, and the state government’s One State-One Election framework and Other Backward Classes reservation reform underpin the poll design. Each item carries a Prelims fact set and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.

1. Campaigning Closes; 77 Councillor Seats Already Decided Unopposed

Why in News: Campaigning for the first phase of Rajasthan’s first simultaneous urban local body elections ended on 8 September 2026, ahead of polling on 9 September for the first phase and 11 September for the second phase, with counting on 14 September. Ahead of the first phase, 77 councillor candidates were declared elected unopposed across the state after the withdrawal deadline.

The scale and structure. The elections cover 309 urban local bodies across the state, comprising 10 municipal corporations (nagar nigam), 47 municipal councils (nagar parishad) and 252 municipalities (nagar palika), with about 10,245 ward councillor seats and 1.44 crore voters. About 16,465 polling stations have been set up.

The unopposed breakdown, which the papers ask verbatim.

Where the uncontested wins clustered. Deeg recorded the highest number at 10 wards, followed by Chittorgarh at 6, Sikar at 5, and Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur and Khairthal-Tijara at 4 wards each. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation, with 150 wards, recorded no uncontested wins.

The two-phase design. The first phase on 9 September covers most of the state’s small and medium urban local bodies, and the second phase on 11 September covers Jaipur and other selected cities. Elections for mayors, chairpersons and municipal presidents are scheduled for 21 September, and for deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and vice-presidents on 22 September.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: Polling for Rajasthan’s urban local body elections is on 9 and 11 September 2026, with counting on 14 September; 309 urban local bodies, 10,245 ward seats, over 1.4 crore voters.
• Prelims: 77 councillor seats were decided unopposed before polling, of which 37 were won by women candidates. An unopposed return is declared under the Rajasthan Municipalities Act when only one nomination survives the withdrawal deadline.
• Prelims: Deeg led on unopposed wins with 10 wards, followed by Chittorgarh with 6.
• Prelims: Urban local bodies are governed by Part IXA, Articles 243P to 243ZG, inserted by the 74th Amendment Act, 1992; the State Election Commission conducts these polls under Article 243ZA.
• Prelims: The Rajasthan State Election Commission is headquartered at Jaipur; its website is sec.rajasthan.gov.in.
• Mains: Simultaneous local elections as an administrative and fiscal device, and the correlation between share of unopposed wins and effective party competition (GS2 local government).

Source: India.com and The Hans India

2. Supreme Court Refuses Six-Month Extension to Aravalli Expert Panel

Why in News: On 7 September 2026, a Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant rejected a request from the high-powered expert committee on the Aravalli Hills for a six-month extension and set a final deadline of 30 November 2026 for the report. The matter was listed for the next hearing on 2 December 2026.

What the panel is doing. The committee is examining the definition and demarcation of the Aravalli range across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, and preparing the framework to regulate construction and mining across it. The Court has previously accepted an operational definition for mining purposes requiring a minimum 100-metre elevation from local relief in designated districts, but a comprehensive definition is still to be settled.

The tribal-consultation direction. The Bench recorded that the committee must undertake a comprehensive consultation process recording the concerns of all stakeholders, including tribal communities in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and granted liberty to file issue-specific interim reports. In Rajasthan, the range runs through the Bhil, Meena, Garasia and Kathodi tracts of the south and south-east, and any restriction on mining and hill-slope construction directly affects livelihoods there.

The line the CJI drew. The Bench noted that the panel had asked for a date falling after the Chief Justice’s retirement, and made it clear that no further extension would be granted, warning that the committee could be reconstituted if it proved unable to deliver.

Why this is a Rajasthan question. The Aravalli is the defining geographic feature of Rajasthan, running south-west to north-east across the state and separating western arid Rajasthan from the semi-arid and sub-humid east. Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu, at about 1,722 metres, is the highest peak in the range and in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: The Supreme Court set a deadline of 30 November 2026 for the Aravalli expert panel’s report on 7 September 2026, with next hearing on 2 December 2026.
• Prelims: The Aravalli runs across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat; Guru Shikhar at about 1,722 m on Mount Abu is its highest peak.
• Prelims: The Aravalli is among the oldest fold mountains in the world, dating to the Proterozoic era.
• Prelims: The Court has earlier accepted a minimum 100-metre elevation from local relief as the operational threshold for mining regulation.
• Prelims: Rajasthan is home to tribal communities including the Bhil, Meena, Garasia, Sahariya and Kathodi.
• Mains: Ecological regulation of an inter-state hill range and the balance between livelihood mining, revenue generation and habitat conservation for arid-zone Rajasthan (GS3 environment, GS2 federal governance).

Source: Business Standard and The Federal

4. IMD Forecasts Isolated Rain over East Rajasthan Through 13 September

Why in News: The India Meteorological Department in its forecast issued on 7 September 2026 placed isolated to scattered rainfall over East Rajasthan for the period 7 to 13 September 2026. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds were flagged for East Rajasthan alongside the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Where the state stands in the season. East Rajasthan and the Aravalli catchment have carried the bulk of the season’s rainfall, with the Banas and Chambal systems well supplied. West Rajasthan, by contrast, has depended on the Arabian Sea branch and on tropical low-pressure incursions from the Kutch coast, and has received less. This is the classical rainfall gradient of the state and is the reason the Indira Gandhi Canal and the PKC-ERCP water-transfer projects are so central to state water planning.

The polling-day forecast. Isolated rain rather than heavy rain reduces disruption to polling on 9 September in most first-phase municipal bodies, and the State Election Commission has told returning officers to keep contingency stock of polythene covers for electronic voting machines at hillside and low-lying booths.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: The IMD forecast for 7 to 13 September 2026 put isolated to scattered rainfall over East Rajasthan, with thunderstorms and gusty winds.
• Prelims: The Banas is the largest river flowing entirely within Rajasthan and is a tributary of the Chambal.
• Prelims: The Chambal rises at Janapav in the Vindhya range in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district and flows into the Yamuna.
• Prelims: The Indira Gandhi Canal takes water from the Harike Barrage at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas in Punjab.
• Prelims: The Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link (PKC-ERCP) Project is a joint project of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Mains: East-west rainfall gradient of Rajasthan and the case for inter-basin transfer as a state water strategy (GS1 geography, GS3 water resources).

Source: IMD forecast, 7 September 2026

5. One State-One Election Framework and the OBC Quota Reform Underpinning the Polls

Why in News: Rajasthan’s first simultaneous urban local body elections on 9 and 11 September 2026 are conducted under the “One State-One Election” policy framework, which the state cabinet approved in August 2026 and which provides for simultaneous elections to panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies across the state.

The OBC quota side. Before these polls, the state government accepted the recommendations of the State Backward Classes Commission on the extent and layout of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation in local bodies, and cleared amendments to the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 and the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 to give effect to them. This closes the triple-test loop that the Supreme Court in its Vikas Kishanrao Gawali (2021) and subsequent orders has required before OBC reservation is provided in local bodies:

• a state commission empirically investigates OBC backwardness in local bodies,
• reservation is not extended in aggregate beyond 50 per cent of the total seats reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs taken together,
• reservation is calibrated to the empirical finding.

How reservation stacks up in Rajasthan municipal wards. The Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 provides for reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and women, with at least one-third of seats reserved for women under Article 243T. Rajasthan operates a half-of-each-reserved-set rule for women within each reserved category.

The reservation lottery. As background, for Jaipur’s 150 wards the reservation lottery was completed on 17 August 2026. Each ward is assigned to one of the four categories, with the women’s share drawn within each set.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: The “One State-One Election” framework provides for simultaneous elections to panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies in Rajasthan.
• Prelims: OBC reservation in local bodies must satisfy the Supreme Court’s triple test laid down in Vikas Kishanrao Gawali v State of Maharashtra (2021).
• Prelims: Article 243T reserves not less than one-third of municipal seats for women, and Rajasthan applies one-third in its municipalities. The 50 per cent reservation the state had attempted for urban local bodies was struck down by the Rajasthan High Court in March 2010 and survives only in the panchayats. Jaipur’s 2026 list reserves 50 of 150 wards for women, which is exactly one-third.
• Prelims: The Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 is the principal statute for municipal governance in the state; the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 governs the rural tier.
• Prelims: The reservation lottery for Jaipur’s 150 wards was completed on 17 August 2026.
• Mains: Compliance with the triple test on OBC reservation, and the design of simultaneous elections to panchayats and municipalities at the state level (GS2 local government, reservations).

Source: India TV News and Beautiful Jaipur

Practice MCQs

1. Ahead of the first phase of Rajasthan’s urban local body elections on 9 September 2026, how many councillor seats were declared elected unopposed, and how were they distributed by party?

a) 77 seats, of which 37 were won by women candidates b) 100 seats, comprising 60 BJP, 25 Congress, 15 Independents and 0 AAP c) 44 seats, of which 20 were won by women candidates d) 150 seats, comprising 90 BJP, 40 Congress, 20 Independents and 0 AAP

Answer: a

Explanation: 77 councillor seats were decided unopposed after the withdrawal deadline, 37 of them won by women candidates. An unopposed return follows where only one nomination survives withdrawal. Deeg recorded the highest number of uncontested wins at 10 wards, followed by Chittorgarh at 6 wards, Sikar at 5, and Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur and Khairthal-Tijara at 4 wards each. The elections cover 309 urban local bodies, comprising 10 municipal corporations, 47 municipal councils and 252 municipalities, with 10,245 ward councillor seats and 1.44 crore voters. Polling is on 9 September and 11 September 2026, with counting on 14 September, and elections for mayors, chairpersons and municipal presidents on 21 September, followed by deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and vice-presidents on 22 September.

2. The Aravalli range, in the news on 7 September 2026 when the Supreme Court set a final deadline of 30 November for the expert panel, runs across which of the following states?

a) Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan only b) Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, with outliers extending into western Madhya Pradesh c) Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh only d) Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan only

Answer: b

Explanation: The Aravalli range runs across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, with its spurs and outliers extending into western Madhya Pradesh, particularly in the Malwa and Nimar belts. On 7 September 2026 a Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant rejected the expert panel’s request for a six-month extension and set a final deadline of 30 November 2026 for its report on the definition and demarcation of the Aravalli, with the next hearing on 2 December 2026. The Bench directed a consultation process covering all stakeholders, including tribal communities in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Aravalli is among the world’s oldest fold mountains, dating to the Proterozoic era. Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu, at about 1,722 metres, is its highest peak.

3. Which of the following is NOT one of the districts of the Matsya region of eastern Rajasthan?

a) Bharatpur b) Alwar c) Karauli d) Bikaner

Answer: d

Explanation: Bikaner lies in western Rajasthan and is not part of the Matsya region. The Matsya region of eastern Rajasthan comprises Bharatpur, Alwar, Karauli and Dholpur, which as princely states were merged into the Matsya Union on 18 March 1948 and then, on 15 May 1949, into the United State of Rajasthan. Bharatpur is home to the Keoladeo National Park, a Ramsar site and UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the Sariska Tiger Reserve lies in Alwar district in the Aravalli.

4. Under the Supreme Court’s ruling in Vikas Kishanrao Gawali v State of Maharashtra (2021), invoked by Rajasthan before its September 2026 local body polls, the triple test for OBC reservation in local bodies requires which of the following?

a) An empirical inquiry by a state commission, an aggregate cap of 50 per cent on total SC/ST/OBC reservation, and calibration to the empirical finding b) A written affidavit by each OBC candidate, an aggregate cap of 33 per cent, and central government approval c) A national census of OBCs, an aggregate cap of 27 per cent, and Election Commission of India approval d) A judicial commission of inquiry, an aggregate cap of 60 per cent, and state legislature ratification

Answer: a

Explanation: In Vikas Kishanrao Gawali v State of Maharashtra (2021), and in subsequent orders, the Supreme Court laid down a triple test for OBC reservation in local bodies: an empirical inquiry by a state commission on OBC backwardness at the local-body level, an aggregate cap of 50 per cent on total reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes taken together, and calibration of the OBC reservation to the empirical finding. Rajasthan closed the loop for its 9 and 11 September 2026 urban local body elections by accepting the State Backward Classes Commission’s report and amending the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 and the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. Article 243T reserves not less than one-third of municipal seats for women, and Rajasthan applies one-third in its municipalities; the 50 per cent urban reservation the state attempted was struck down by the Rajasthan High Court in March 2010 and survives only in the panchayats.

5. The Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link (PKC-ERCP) Project, central to Rajasthan’s water strategy in the context of the state’s east-west rainfall gradient, is a joint project of:

a) Rajasthan alone, funded by the World Bank b) Rajasthan and Gujarat, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti c) Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti d) Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, under the Ministry of Water Resources

Answer: c

Explanation: The Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link (PKC-ERCP) Project is a joint project of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti under a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2024. It combines the older Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project with the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link, and is designed to transfer surplus water from the Chambal system to the parched eastern-Rajasthan basins of the Banas and the Ruparel. The east-west rainfall gradient reflects that the Aravalli runs roughly parallel to the Arabian Sea branch of the south-west monsoon and does not force it to ascend, so western Rajasthan depends on the Arabian Sea branch and on tropical incursions from Kutch, while eastern Rajasthan receives moisture chiefly from the Bay of Bengal branch and from monsoon low-pressure systems tracking north-west across central India. The Banas is the largest river flowing entirely within Rajasthan and is a tributary of the Chambal.