UP Panchayat Elections: restructuring of villages begins, proposals sought by june 5

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated preparations for the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections by starting the partial restructuring of gram panchayats and revenue villages. On Friday, the state issued a directive to all district administrations, asking them to submit proposals for reorganization by June 5, 2025.

Since the 2021 panchayat elections, several gram panchayats and revenue villages have been incorporated into urban local bodies, such as nagar panchayats, municipal councils, and municipal corporations. As a result, many panchayats now have populations below the minimum required limit of 1,000, which is essential for forming a gram panchayat under the Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act.

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According to the latest government order, panchayats with most of their areas absorbed into urban bodies will be dissolved, and their remaining villages will be merged with nearby gram panchayats.

Criteria for restructuring: minimum population of 1,000

As per the Panchayati Raj Act, a gram panchayat can only be formed if the population of a village or a group of villages is at least 1,000. If a portion of a panchayat has been merged into an urban area and the remaining population doesn’t meet this standard, those villages will be included in adjacent panchayats. However, if the remaining revenue village meets the population criteria, it may be formed into a new independent panchayat.

To avoid disruptions in the panchayat election process, the state government has put a temporary hold on the creation and expansion of nagar panchayats, municipal councils, and municipal corporations. Anil Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department, has officially communicated this decision to the Urban Development Department.

Elections likely in 2026

The current terms of gram panchayats, block-level panchayats, and district panchayats will expire in May, July, and July 2026, respectively. Before that, the government will conduct a revision of voter rolls, delimitation of wards, implementation of reservation quotas, and update caste-based data—a process expected to take around six months.

To oversee the restructuring, four-member committees have been formed in each district, headed by the District Magistrate. Other members include the Chief Development Officer, the District Panchayati Raj Officer (as Member Secretary), and the Additional Chief Officer. These committees will also ensure that no notifications regarding urban boundary expansions are pending in their districts.