Rajasthan State Election Commission Rejects Voter Awareness Campaign Application

Days after a Chief Justice of India-led Supreme Court Bench asked the Rajasthan State Election Commission (SEC) to “reconsider” activists’ application to conduct a voter awareness campaign during the ongoing Panchayati Raj elections, the Commission has once again rejected their plea. In its latest rejection, dated November 4, the SEC cited “serious practical and legal difficulties” and argued that granting permission would be “not just nor legal”, while asserting that it was already running a “very strong, efficient, effective and well-organised” voter awareness campaign of its own. On November 2, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which also included Justices Joymala Bagchi and V Mohana, directed the SEC “to reconsider the petitioners’ request for permitting them to conduct the voter awareness campaign during phase three of the Panchayati Raj Election”. It set aside a communication by the SEC rejecting their application and asked the Commission to pass an order within two days. The SEC had rejected applications submitted on September 7 and October 6. Following the SC’s directions, Rajasthan Election Watch, along with Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and others, sent another request to the SEC the same day, November 2. However, the plea was rejected once again. The SEC said the petitioners had initially sought permission for a statewide campaign but were subsequently seeking exemptions for different districts in phases, which was “contradictory and uncertain”. It also said they had not provided a detailed schedule specifying routes, dates, timings and locations, or identified local organisers and planned activities, making it difficult for the administration and police to make necessary arrangements. The Commission also said that with the third phase of the Panchayat elections underway and the fourth scheduled for November 13–17, 2026, the administration and police were already stretched managing polling stations, sensitive booths, strong rooms and political rallies. It said large-scale parallel events by NGOs would place an additional burden on the machinery and potentially disrupt election management and law and order. Its priority, it said, was to ensure peaceful, orderly and intimidation-free elections. The SEC also cited ongoing festivals, including Dhanteras and Diwali, during this period, stating that they required extensive deployment of administrative and police personnel. Coupled with the polls, this meant it would be unable to provide additional administrative and police support for the organisation’s parallel voter awareness campaign. The SEC said the petitioners had referred to earlier Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, which were “entirely different” from elections to Panchayati Raj institutions, where the competition was highly personal and intense, with a high potential for arguments, hostility and violence. However, the activists said that if there were any shortcomings in the route and schedule, the Commission could have clarified them and sought the necessary details. “If there were genuine concerns about law and order, appropriate conditions and security guidelines could have been established. Banning an entire campaign solely based on apprehensions and administrative constraints should not be acceptable in a democratic system,” they said. They also said the SEC’s argument that independent initiatives by civil society organisations were unnecessary because it was itself conducting awareness programmes under SVEEP was untenable. “The Election Commission’s activities cannot substitute for independent citizen participation. In a democracy, the roles of government institutions and civil society are complementary, not competitive,” they said. The Commission’s repeated refusal to grant permission further raises the question of whether citizens have the right to freely conduct voter awareness campaigns during elections, or whether this right is limited to government institutions, they asked. ‘Bent on trampling citizens’ rights’ During the SC hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the activists, had said that the campaign, which has been conducted since 2004, seeks to educate voters about their democratic rights and electoral choices, including the option of None of the Above (NOTA), and aims to discourage electoral malpractice by sensitising voters against accepting money or other inducements in exchange for their votes. Rejecting the Commission’s reasoning, Justice Bagchi had reportedly observed that the SEC’s own awareness initiatives could not be a ground to prevent other organisations from undertaking similar efforts. In a statement, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh said: “The SC’s decision should have been a major victory for the Constitution, democracy, and the fundamental rights of citizens. However, under the guise of administrative excuses, the Commission is bent on trampling on citizens’ rights. Voter awareness is not a privilege of any government or commission, but the responsibility and right of citizens to strengthen democracy. This attitude, even after the Supreme Court’s order, is extremely worrying. We will continue to raise our voice against this injustice.” Rajasthan Election Watch has now said it will once again approach the Supreme Court, demanding “a clear, transparent, time-bound, and non-arbitrary process be established for civic organisations to conduct voter awareness campaigns during elections.” “Democracy isn’t strengthened simply by voting; it’s strengthened when citizens have the freedom to question, communicate, and raise voter awareness. Banning voter awareness campaigns is not an attempt to strengthen democracy, but rather to limit citizen participation,” the activists said.