Ward lottery finalises reservation across Jodhpur’s 100 municipal wards
Jodhpur — The ward-reservation lottery for the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation was held today at the Marwar International Centre to allocate reserved categories across the city’s 100 wards after recent delimitation, Bhaskar English reported. Following the draw, 20 wards have been earmarked for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) while 65 wards fall under the unreserved open category.
The exercise also fixed seats for women and scheduled categories. Across all categories a total of 34 women councillors will be represented in the corporation. Of these, 13 are in Scheduled Caste (SC) wards, 2 in Scheduled Tribe (ST) wards and 2 in unreserved women’s wards. The mayor’s post has been reserved for the unreserved open category for the first time in 12 years, the report said.
Delimitation outcomes and voter distribution
Delimitation of ward boundaries preceded the lottery and officials released detailed lists specifying ward limits, the areas they cover and voter numbers. According to the published figures, 56 of the 100 wards have a population of more than 10,000 voters while the remaining wards have fewer than 10,000.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total wards in Jodhpur Municipal Corporation | 100 |
| Wards reserved for OBCs | 20 |
| Unreserved open wards | 65 |
| Women councillor seats (total) | 34 |
| Wards with population > 10,000 | 56 |
| Largest ward by voters | Ward 87 — >13,000 voters |
| Smallest ward by voters | Ward 10 — ~4,000 voters |
The report named Ward 87 as having the highest electorate with more than 13,000 voters, while Ward 10, which covers part of the Pal East revenue village, is the smallest at around 4,000 voters.
New municipalities in district go through first reservation draw
Jodhpur district now comprises six municipalities in addition to the city corporation. Four former panchayats — Bhopalgarh, Balesar, Tinwari and Mathania — have been upgraded to municipalities and underwent their first reservation lottery.
- In Balesar Satta, the chairperson’s post has been reserved for an OBC woman.
- Mathania has its chairperson’s seat reserved for an SC woman.
- Bhopalgarh chairperson’s post has been reserved for OBC Open.
- Tinwari chairperson’s post is reserved for SC Open.
"The ward reservation lottery will be held at the Marwar International Centre from 10 am to 11 am," the report said, adding that lotteries for the newer municipalities and nearby towns followed from 11 am to 1 pm.
From 11 am to 1 pm, the ward lotteries for Bilara, Pipar City, Bhopalgarh, Balesar Satta, Mathania and Tinwari were conducted as part of the same schedule.
Implications for candidates and voters
The delimitation and reservation list will shape candidate nominations, party strategies and voter engagement ahead of the next municipal elections. Reservation of the mayor’s post in the unreserved open category marks a notable change after a 12-year interval and could influence party calculations for leadership and ticket distribution.
Officials have made the detailed ward lists public, enabling residents to check boundaries and voter counts for their localities. With several wards exceeding 10,000 electors, parties and candidates may need to recalibrate outreach and logistical plans to cover larger electorates in densely populated pockets of the city.
Further administrative and electoral schedules, including polling dates and nomination windows, will be set by the state election authorities in due course, consistent with the new ward reservations and delimitation.
