U.P. panchayat polls 2026: GO mandating villages' delimitation issued

The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated the process for the village panchayat elections scheduled for May next year by issuing a government order (GO) mandating the delimitation of village panchayats.
This exercise has become necessary due to the merger of hundreds of villages into urban local bodies like nagar panchayats, municipal councils and municipal corporations since the last panchayat elections in 2021.
Currently, there are around 58,000 village panchayats in the state, but the number is expected to decrease following the delimitation.
'We have issued the GO asking district magistrates to initiate the process for the delimitation of village panchayats, redrawing their boundaries in view changes in their status since the last panchayat elections,' principal secretary (panchayat) Anil Kumar told the HT.
'The existing number of village panchayats is expected to come down following the delimitation exercise,' he added. According to the GO issued on Friday, the reorganisation move stems from the fact that the creation and expansion of urban bodies have resulted in many revenue villages being absorbed into urban areas.
This shift has left several village panchayats with reduced populations—some even falling below the required threshold of 1,000 residents—necessitating structural changes.
The GO directs if a panchayat is left with a single revenue village that no longer qualifies independently, it will be merged with a nearby panchayat. However, if it still meets the eligibility criteria, it can be retained or reconstituted. Those partially affected panchayats that retain a population of around 1,000 will continue to function as before.
The entire restructuring is being carried out under Sections 3 and 11(c) of the UP Panchayat Raj Act, 1947 (as amended in 1994), which governs the constitution of Gram Sabhas and the declaration of panchayat areas.
A committee headed by the district magistrate has been constituted in each district to implement the exercise, with other key members including the chief development officer, additional chief officer (zila panchayat) and the district panchayati raj officer.
'District magistrates have been asked to submit finalised and approved proposals to the panchayati raj directorate by June 5, 2025. These must include comparative details of affected panchayats and certifications to ensure that no rural area remains outside the panchayat framework,' Kumar said.

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