Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 15 September 2026, prepared for the RPSC RAS and other Rajasthan government examinations. The lead item is the counting of votes on 14 September 2026 for elections to 309 urban local bodies across Rajasthan, held under the State Election Commission. Alongside, ACME Solar Holdings Ltd. has informed the stock exchanges that Phase-I of its Bikaner Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), with a capacity of 53.63 MW / 300 MWh at Kelan village, Chhatargarh, has a Commercial Operation Date of 16 September 2026, and the Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) has opened its 39th centre at Alwar. Each item carries a Prelims fact set and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.

1. Rajasthan Urban Local Body Elections 2026: Votes Counted for 309 ULBs on 14 September

Why in News: Votes for elections to 309 urban local bodies across Rajasthan were counted on 14 September 2026. Polling was held in two phases, on 9 September (Phase-I) and 11 September (Phase-II), and was conducted by the State Election Commission, Rajasthan.

Phase-wise numbers. Phase-I covered 162 ULBs with 5,393 wards, 20,623 candidates in the fray and about 57.5 lakh eligible voters. Phase-II covered 147 ULBs with 4,774 wards, 18,266 candidates and about 87.6 lakh eligible voters, at 9,758 polling stations. Across the two phases, 38,889 candidates contested.

Constitutional and statutory frame. Urban local bodies are constituted under Part IX-A of the Constitution, inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, and, in Rajasthan, governed by the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009. Article 243ZA vests the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and conduct of, all elections to the municipalities in the State Election Commission, constituted under Article 243K.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: Votes for elections to 309 urban local bodies in Rajasthan were counted on 14 September 2026.
  • Prelims: Phase-I (9 September) covered 162 ULBs / 5,393 wards / 20,623 candidates / about 57.5 lakh voters.
  • Prelims: Phase-II (11 September) covered 147 ULBs / 4,774 wards / 18,266 candidates / about 87.6 lakh voters / 9,758 polling stations.
  • Prelims: The polls were conducted by the State Election Commission, Rajasthan, under Part IX-A of the Constitution (74th CAA) and the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009.
  • Mains: The third tier of federalism after the 74th CAA; the role of State Election Commissions in the conduct of ULB elections; capacity of urban local self-government to translate a fresh mandate into service delivery (GS2 polity and governance).

2. ACME Solar’s Bikaner BESS Phase-I: 53.63 MW / 300 MWh, COD 16 September

Why in News: ACME Solar Holdings Ltd., through its wholly owned subsidiary ACME Greentech Seventh Private Limited, informed the stock exchanges on 14 September 2026 that it has commissioned 53.63 MW / 300 MWh of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity under Phase-I of its project at Kelan village, Chhatargarh, in Bikaner district, with a Commercial Operation Date (COD) of 16 September 2026. The capacity is part of a larger 300 MW / 1,581 MWh Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) project at the same site; the renewable generation component is still under development.

About the asset. A Battery Energy Storage System stores electricity generated during periods of high renewable output (typically midday solar) and discharges it during evening peak demand, providing grid-firming, frequency support and time-shifting services. Bikaner sits on Rajasthan’s high Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) western belt, which hosts several utility-scale solar parks.

Institutional frame. Electricity is Entry 38 of the Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule). On the Union side, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) are key interfaces; on the state side, the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL).

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: ACME Solar reported Phase-I BESS capacity of 53.63 MW / 300 MWh at Kelan village, Chhatargarh, Bikaner, with a COD of 16 September 2026.
  • Prelims: The BESS is Phase-I of a 300 MW / 1,581 MWh FDRE project; the generation component is under development.
  • Prelims: Electricity is Entry 38, Concurrent List.
  • Prelims: Nodal Union bodies for large renewable projects include MNRE, CEA and SECI; the state agency is RRECL.
  • Mains: BESS as the missing link in variable renewable integration; FDRE and storage tenders as a route to round-the-clock power and evening peak management (GS3 energy).

3. Cricket Academy of Pathans Opens 39th Centre at Alwar

Why in News: The Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) on 14 September 2026 opened its 39th centre at Alwar, on the campus of LIET Alwar. The centre was inaugurated by Yusuf Pathan, co-founder of the academy.

About the initiative. The Cricket Academy of Pathans is a national grassroots cricket-coaching network co-founded by cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan. The Alwar centre is CAP’s 39th centre across India and its sixth in Rajasthan, extending its footprint into a Tier-2 city in eastern Rajasthan on the National Capital Region’s industrial belt.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: CAP’s 39th centre was opened at LIET Alwar on 14 September 2026; it is CAP’s sixth centre in Rajasthan.
  • Prelims: The centre was inaugurated by Yusuf Pathan, co-founder of the academy.
  • Prelims: Alwar is part of the NCR-adjacent industrial belt in eastern Rajasthan.
  • Mains: Private-sector partnership in grassroots sports infrastructure at the Tier-2 city level; the state’s enabling role in linking sports and education campuses (GS2 governance).

Practice MCQs

1. The urban local body elections for which votes were counted in Rajasthan on 14 September 2026 covered how many ULBs and were conducted by which body?

a) 309 ULBs, conducted by the Election Commission of India b) 309 ULBs, conducted by the State Election Commission, Rajasthan, under Part IX-A of the Constitution and the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 c) 248 ULBs, conducted by the Department of Local Self-Government, Government of Rajasthan d) 61 ULBs, conducted by the Chief Electoral Officer, Rajasthan, under Part IX of the Constitution

Answer: b

Explanation: Votes for elections to 309 ULBs were counted on 14 September 2026. The polls were conducted by the State Election Commission, Rajasthan, under Part IX-A of the Constitution (inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992) and the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009. The Election Commission of India is not the ULB election authority; that role vests in the State Election Commissions under Article 243ZA read with Article 243K.

2. Phase-I of ACME Solar’s Bikaner Battery Energy Storage System, with a Commercial Operation Date of 16 September 2026, has a capacity of:

a) 100 MW / 400 MWh b) 25 MW / 100 MWh c) 53.63 MW / 300 MWh d) 500 MW / 2,000 MWh

Answer: c

Explanation: ACME Solar reported 53.63 MW / 300 MWh of BESS capacity under Phase-I at Kelan village, Chhatargarh, in Bikaner district, part of a 300 MW / 1,581 MWh FDRE project. A BESS stores electricity generated during periods of high renewable output and discharges it during evening peak demand, providing grid-firming and time-shifting services.

3. The Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) opened its 39th centre on 14 September 2026 at:

a) Alwar, on the campus of LIET Alwar, inaugurated by Yusuf Pathan b) Ajmer, on the campus of MDS University, inaugurated by Irfan Pathan c) Jaipur, on the campus of MNIT, inaugurated by Sourav Ganguly d) Bikaner, on the campus of the SP Medical College, inaugurated by Rahul Dravid

Answer: a

Explanation: CAP’s 39th centre was opened at Alwar on 14 September 2026, on the LIET Alwar campus, and was inaugurated by co-founder Yusuf Pathan. It is CAP’s sixth centre in Rajasthan. CAP is a national grassroots cricket-coaching network co-founded by the Pathan brothers.

4. Consider the following about Rajasthan’s urban local body elections 2026 and identify the CORRECT statement.

a) All 309 ULBs went to the polls in a single phase on 11 September 2026 b) The polls were conducted only for the municipal corporations, with municipal councils and municipalities excluded from this cycle c) Phase-I on 9 September covered 162 ULBs with 5,393 wards, and Phase-II on 11 September covered 147 ULBs with 4,774 wards d) The State Election Commission is constituted under Article 243B of the Constitution

Answer: c

Explanation: Polling was held in two phases. Phase-I (9 September) covered 162 ULBs with 5,393 wards, 20,623 candidates and about 57.5 lakh eligible voters; Phase-II (11 September) covered 147 ULBs with 4,774 wards, 18,266 candidates and about 87.6 lakh eligible voters at 9,758 polling stations. The State Election Commission is constituted under Article 243K, and its jurisdiction over ULB elections is under Article 243ZA (Part IX-A); Article 243B deals with the constitution of Panchayats.

5. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), such as the Bikaner BESS reported by ACME Solar in September 2026, primarily support the power sector by:

a) Generating baseload thermal power at cheaper cost than coal b) Replacing the need for high-voltage transmission corridors c) Storing excess renewable generation and discharging it during evening peak, providing grid-firming and time-shifting services d) Directly reducing gross calorific value of coal used in existing thermal plants

Answer: c

Explanation: A BESS stores electricity generated during periods of high renewable output, typically midday solar in Rajasthan’s high-DNI belt, and discharges it during evening peak demand. This provides grid-firming, frequency support and time-shifting services, and is central to integrating variable renewables at scale.