Political and Administrative System of Rajasthan
2. The Legislative Assembly and the party system
The State legislature is unicameral: Rajasthan has only the Vidhan Sabha, with no Legislative Council. It has 200 seats, of which 34 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 25 for Scheduled Tribes (after the 2008 delimitation), leaving 141 general seats. The State also sends 25 members to the Lok Sabha and 10 to the Rajya Sabha. The Assembly's term is five years (Article 172), the gap between two sessions cannot exceed six months (Article 174), and it elects a Speaker and Deputy Speaker (Article 178). The number of seats rose in steps (160 in the first election of 1952, then 176, 184 and, from the 1977 election, 200). The constitutional rule for finance bills is that money bills (defined in Article 199; procedure in Article 198) originate only in the Assembly.
Party politics. The first decades were dominated by the Congress, with the Swatantra Party, which drew on the former princely families, as the main opposition in the 1960s. The 1977 Janata wave broke the pattern; and in 1990 the BJP governed in coalition with the Janata Dal. Since 1993 the contest has been between the Congress and the BJP, and no party won two successive elections between 1993 and 2023: BJP in 1993, Congress 1998, BJP 2003, Congress 2008, BJP 2013, Congress 2018 and BJP in 2023 (the BJP won 115 of the 199 seats counted on 3 December 2023; polling in Karanpur had been postponed). Smaller forces such as the BSP, independents, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and the Bharat Adivasi Party win a handful of seats, especially in tribal south Rajasthan, Marwar and Shekhawati.
3. High Court, subordinate courts and the Advocate General
The Rajasthan High Court was inaugurated on 29 August 1949 at Jodhpur, its principal seat, with Kamala Kant Verma as the first Chief Justice, according to the Court's own annual reports. A permanent bench at Jaipur was re-established on 31 January 1977 by a Presidential order under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. High Court judges are appointed by the President after consulting the Chief Justice of India and the Governor (Article 217), and retire at 62. Article 226 lets the Court issue writs for fundamental rights and also 'for any other purpose', so it is wider than the Supreme Court's Article 32 power.
| Office or provision | Article | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| District judges | 233 | Appointed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court |
| Control over subordinate courts | 235 | Vested in the High Court |
| Advocate General | 165 | Appointed by the Governor; must be qualified to be a High Court judge; holds office during the Governor's pleasure |
| Free legal aid and Lok Adalats | 39A (principle); Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 | State Legal Services Authority at the State level |
4. Administrative machinery: Secretariat to Tehsil
At the top the Chief Secretary heads the civil service and is the principal adviser to the Chief Minister. The Secretariat at Jaipur is a set of departments, each headed by a minister (political head) and a secretary (administrative head), which frame policy and law. Policy is carried out by directorates and boards, the executive arms of departments. Below the State level the field chain is Division, District, Sub-Division, Tehsil, ending in the revenue village with its patwari. The Divisional Commissioner coordinates districts and hears revenue appeals; the Collector is the district's chief revenue officer, district magistrate for law and order and head of development coordination; the Superintendent of Police heads district police (some cities such as Jaipur run a Commissioner of Police system); the Sub-Divisional Officer supervises tehsils; and the Tehsildar runs the tehsil's land records and revenue collection. Revenue work rests on the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956 and the police on the Rajasthan Police Act, 2007.
| Period | Position |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Bharatpur division created, making seven divisions |
| 2008 | Pratapgarh became the 33rd district |
| August 2023 | 17 new districts and three new divisions (Banswara, Pali, Sikar) notified by the Revenue Department on 5 August 2023 and in force from 7 August 2023, giving 50 districts and 10 divisions |
| December 2024 | Cabinet decision of 28 December 2024 cancelled nine of the 17 districts and the three new divisions, leaving 41 districts and seven divisions (count as reported from 30 December 2024; later changes are possible) |
5. Commissions, boards and the Lokayukt
The exam's favourite distinction is between constitutional bodies, created by the Constitution, and statutory bodies, created by a law. Learn each body's legal basis, because the stem usually asks for it.
| Body | Legal basis | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) | Constitutional, Articles 315 to 323 | Headquarters Ajmer; set up in 1949; members appointed by the Governor (Article 316) but removable only by the President after a Supreme Court inquiry (Article 317) |
| State Election Commission | Constitutional, Articles 243-K and 243-ZA | Conducts panchayat and municipal elections; the Assembly election is run by the Election Commission of India (Article 324) |
| State Information Commission | Statutory, Right to Information Act, 2005 | State Chief Information Commissioner and Commissioners appointed by the Governor on a committee's recommendation (CM, Leader of Opposition, a Cabinet minister) |
| State Commission for Women | Statutory, Rajasthan State Commission for Women Act, 1999 | Chairperson and members; investigates and recommends on matters affecting women |
| State Human Rights Commission | Statutory, Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 | Notified on 18 January 1999, functional from 23 March 2000, at Jaipur; recommendations not binding; appointed on a committee headed by the CM |
| Board of Revenue | Statutory, Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956 | At Ajmer; a Chairman and not fewer than three other members (Section 4 of the 1956 Act); apex revenue appellate authority |
| Lokayukt and Upa-Lokayukt | Statutory, Rajasthan Lokayukta and Up-Lokayuktas Act, 1973 | Investigates corruption complaints; the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (Section 63) told every State to establish a Lokayukta within one year |
6. Panchayati Raj, municipalities, policy and e-governance
Rajasthan was the first State to launch Panchayati Raj: after the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) proposed a three-tier structure, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated it at Nagaur on 2 October 1959, under the Rajasthan Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads Act, 1959. After the 73rd Amendment (Part IX, Articles 243 to 243-O, with 29 subjects in the 11th Schedule) the State enacted the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, with Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad. The Constitution mandates not less than one-third of seats for women; Rajasthan raised it to 50 per cent by a 2008 amendment of the 1994 Act. Cities follow the 74th Amendment (Part IX-A, Articles 243-P to 243-ZG, with 18 subjects in the 12th Schedule) through the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009, with municipal corporations, councils and boards under the Local Self Government Department.
Public policy and governance (the Mains theme 'New Dynamics and Challenges') is best answered by following the policy cycle: agenda set by manifestos and Budget announcements; formulation in the department and the Planning Department; approval by Cabinet; implementation through directorates, districts and panchayats; and review by the Assembly, the Comptroller and Auditor General and social audit. The recurring bottlenecks are weak devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to local bodies, vacancies and transfers, and delays in fund release. E-governance such as Bhamashah, e-Mitra and Raj-SSO addresses them by cutting discretion and paper, but needs connectivity and digital literacy in remote areas.
Key takeaways
- The Governor is the nominal head acting on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers; the ministry's ceiling is 15 per cent of the Assembly (30 for 200 seats), with a floor of 12.
- The Assembly is unicameral with 200 seats (34 SC, 25 ST); since 1993 governments have alternated between the Congress and the BJP, and the 2023 result kept that pattern.
- The High Court was inaugurated at Jodhpur in 1949 and has a Jaipur bench re-established on 31 January 1977; the Advocate General is a Governor's appointee under Article 165.
- The field chain is Division, District, Sub-Division, Tehsil; the map moved from 33 districts (2008) to 50 districts and ten divisions (2023) and then to 41 districts and seven divisions after December 2024.
- RPSC and the State Election Commission are constitutional; the Information, Women, Human Rights commissions, Board of Revenue and Lokayukt are statutory.
- Rajasthan started Panchayati Raj at Nagaur on 2 October 1959; the 1994 Act and the 2009 Municipalities Act carry the 73rd and 74th Amendments, with a State-chosen 50 per cent women's quota in panchayats.
Practice questions (16)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
Under which Article of the Constitution is the Advocate General of a State appointed by the Governor?
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Answer: C — Article 165
Article 165 provides for the Advocate General of a State. Article 76 is the Attorney General of India, Article 148 the Comptroller and Auditor General, and Article 233 the appointment of district judges.Where was Panchayati Raj first inaugurated in India, by Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 October 1959?
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Answer: C — Nagaur in Rajasthan
The scheme was inaugurated at Nagaur on 2 October 1959, making Rajasthan the first State to launch it. Jaipur, Udaipur and Ajmer are important cities but not the inauguration site.Where is the principal seat of the Rajasthan High Court?
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Answer: A — Jodhpur
The principal seat is at Jodhpur, where the High Court was inaugurated in 1949. Jaipur has a permanent bench re-established on 31 January 1977, which makes it the tempting but wrong answer.Where is the headquarters of the Rajasthan Board of Revenue?
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Answer: D — Ajmer
The Board of Revenue, established under the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956, sits at Ajmer, the same city as the Public Service Commission. Jaipur houses the Secretariat and Jodhpur the High Court's principal seat.The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly has 200 members. Under Article 164(1A), what is the maximum size of the Council of Ministers, including the Chief Minister?
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Answer: D — 30
The ceiling is 15 per cent of the Assembly's strength: 15 per cent of 200 is 30. The 91st Amendment also fixed a floor of 12 ministers. Twenty-five and 35 do not match 15 per cent.The Rajasthan Assembly has 200 seats, of which 34 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 25 for Scheduled Tribes (after the 2008 delimitation). How many seats are unreserved?
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Answer: B — 141
Reserved seats total 34 + 25 = 59, so unreserved seats are 200 - 59 = 141. The other figures come from arithmetic slips: 145 would be 200 minus only 55, and 131 would be 200 minus 69, neither of which matches the 34 + 25 reserved seats.Consider the following statements about State bodies. P: The Rajasthan Public Service Commission is a constitutional body under Article 315. Q: The State Information Commission is a constitutional body created by an Article in Part XV. R: The State Election Commission derives its authority from Article 243-K. S: The Lokayukt is a constitutional body under Article 315. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: A — P and R only
P and R are correct. The Information Commission is statutory under the RTI Act, 2005, and the Lokayukt is statutory under the 1973 State Act, so Q and S are wrong. The Public Service Commission is the constitutional one under Article 315.Which of the following body-and-legal-basis pairings is NOT correct?
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Answer: D — State Information Commission: Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993
The State Information Commission is created by the Right to Information Act, 2005, not the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which creates the Human Rights Commission. The other three pairings are correct.Arrange in chronological order:
P. Panchayati Raj inaugurated at Nagaur;
Q. Permanent bench of the Rajasthan High Court re-established at Jaipur;
R. Enactment of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994;
S. Enactment of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009.Show answer
Answer: C — P, Q, R, S
Nagaur was 1959, the Jaipur bench 1977, the Panchayati Raj Act 1994 and the Municipalities Act 2009. Putting the 1994 Act before the 1977 bench, or the 2009 Act before the 1994 Act, reverses the order.In the Rajasthan Assembly elections, the government changed hands at every election from 1993 to 2023. Which election produced a government of the same party that won the 2008 election?
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Answer: C — 1998
The Congress won in 1998, 2008 and 2018, and the BJP in 1993, 2003, 2013 and 2023. So 1998 shares the party of 2008; the other three years belong to the BJP.Consider the following statements. P: The Assembly general election in Rajasthan is conducted by the Election Commission of India. Q: Municipal elections are conducted by the State Election Commission under Article 243-ZA. R: Panchayat elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India. S: The State Election Commissioner can be removed only in the manner and on the grounds of a High Court judge. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: B — P, Q and S only
P, Q and S are correct. R is wrong because panchayat elections are conducted by the State Election Commission under Article 243-K, not the Election Commission of India.After the cancellation of the three divisions created in 2023, which of the following was NOT among the seven administrative divisions of Rajasthan as of the December 2024 Cabinet decision (28 December 2024)?
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Answer: B — Pali
The three divisions cancelled were Banswara, Pali and Sikar, so Pali was not a division after the decision. Bharatpur, Kota and Bikaner are among the seven that remained.Consider the following statements. P: District judges are appointed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court (Article 233). Q: Control over the subordinate courts is vested in the High Court (Article 235). R: Article 226 lets a High Court issue writs for any other purpose besides enforcing fundamental rights. S: The Advocate General must be a member of the State Legislature. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: A — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. S is wrong: the Advocate General need only be qualified to be a High Court judge; he has the right to speak in the House but need not be a member of it. The tempting 'all four' fails on S.Consider the following statements on the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission. P: It was constituted under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. Q: Its recommendations are binding on the State Government. R: It was notified on 18 January 1999 and became functional on 23 March 2000. S: Its Chairperson is appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of a committee headed by the Chief Minister. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: C — P, R and S only
P, R and S are correct. Q is wrong because the Commission's recommendations are advisory and not binding on the State Government; the 'P, Q and S' option fails on that point.Consider the following statements on local government in Rajasthan. P: The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee of 1957 recommended a three-tier structure. Q: Panchayati Raj was inaugurated at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. R: The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 followed the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. S: The Constitution itself mandates 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: D — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. S is wrong: the Constitution mandates not less than one-third reservation for women, and Rajasthan raised it to 50 per cent by a 2008 amendment of its own Act.Consider the following statements on the Lokayukt. P: Rajasthan has a State law, the Rajasthan Lokayukta and Up-Lokayuktas Act, 1973. Q: The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 directs every State to establish a Lokayukta within one year of its commencement. R: The Lokayukt is a constitutional body under Article 315. S: The Lokayukt is appointed by the President of India. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: A — P and Q only
P and Q are correct. R is wrong because the Lokayukt is statutory, not constitutional, and S is wrong because a State Lokayukt is appointed by the Governor, not the President.