The Sampadak Express News Desk
The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the State Election Commission to complete the three-tier panchayat elections within three months and proceed under the existing 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes, triggering a fresh round of political sparring and a promised legal challenge. The Hindu reported that the court held the polls cannot be delayed beyond constitutional limits despite the State’s move to await a report from a dedicated commission on OBC reservations.
The State had deferred the elections, which fell due after the previous term expired in May 2026, pending the Backward Classes Commission’s findings. In the interim, outgoing Gram Pradhans have been made administrators to run routine affairs until new bodies take charge. On the ground, village heads say the arrangement is slowing work. “Before May, we could get work of ₹5 lakh done at the Gram Sabha level. Now, for even ₹10 lakh worth of work, we need approval from the district administration,” said a Pradhan from Kasganj district.
The court’s order requires the polls to be conducted on the basis of the 27% OBC quota used in 2021, derived from a rapid survey rather than the Supreme Court’s “triple test” to determine political backwardness. Political observers and opposition leaders argued the government knew the expiry timeline and could have constituted the commission well in advance, noting the triple-test formula has been in place since 2010 and was made mandatory by the Supreme Court in 2021.
Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar welcomed the High Court’s directive, saying the State is prepared to comply. “The High Court has issued its order; the Backward Classes Commission should take care of the matter. What do we have to do? We are ready to comply with the order. Once the Commission’s report is submitted, why would there be any need to approach the Supreme Court?” he told reporters.
The Rashtriya Panchayatiraj Gram Pradhan Sangathan (RPGPS), which advocates for Gram Pradhans and Panchayati Raj institutions, said it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court. The group argues that under the Supreme Court’s triple-test requirement, if conditions are not satisfied — including the formation of a dedicated commission and proper quantification — OBC-reserved seats must be treated as unreserved in local body polls. The organisation also flagged a “significant discrepancy” between panchayat and assembly voter lists.
“Abhi gaon ki satta gaon ke haath main hai (At present, the power of the village is in the hands of villagers),” said Akhilesh Singh, national president of RPGPS, noting it is the first time Gram Pradhans have been made administrators after their tenures expired. He cautioned against rushing the process “by trying to bypass incomplete voter rolls and ongoing OBC triple test surveys.”
Concerns over electoral rolls are not confined to panchayat leaders. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Congress MP Tanuj Punia and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh have also flagged discrepancies. Unlike many states that adopt or sync the Election Commission of India’s master roll for local elections, Uttar Pradesh maintains a separate voter list for panchayat polls.
A leader of the Primary School Teachers’ union associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said that when a single integrated roll (SIR) was presented as a solution, it would have been better to work on a common voter list. “At present, there are separate BLOs for the two rolls. It means more work for teachers in the Census year, and politically it creates an impression that there is something wrong with the enumeration process when everyone knows that the two lists cannot be completely aligned,” the leader said.
Within the ruling alliance, some acknowledge political considerations in the timing. Sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party and ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) said panchayat elections were pushed back to avoid creating “bad blood amidst its rural cadre in the election year.” Though panchayat contests are held without official party symbols, they are intensely political, and parties worry that rejecting one local aspirant can alienate entire factions before the Assembly polls. “It is a well-recognised dynamic in rural politics, but you have to live with it, and the panchayat poll is considered a kind of semi-final,” said a hopeful with BJP links. “It seems the party wants to go straight into the final,” he added.
An RLD insider said there was “meaningful silence” among party workers, reflecting a widespread sense that the government is not inclined to conduct panchayat polls before the Assembly elections. “Had it been conducted in May, we were ready, but now with little gap between the two polls it is neither practically nor politically viable,” the insider said.
Opposition leaders alleged the delay is politically motivated. Samajwadi Party national spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi accused the government of trying to dodge discontent within its core base, claiming that controversies over UGC guidelines, alleged theft in donations to the Ram Temple and paper leaks had eroded support among upper-caste voters. Citing newspaper reports from the 2021 cycle, he said SP-supported candidates outperformed BJP-supported ones in Zila Panchayat polls. Gandhi urged the government to explain the postponement and ensure the full electoral process, including reservations, is completed within the court-mandated window.
Amid the uncertainty, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told a meeting in Ghaziabad that the upcoming MLC election for teacher and graduate constituencies should be viewed as the “semi-final.”
