U.P. Panchayat poll: Is BJP looking to bypass the semi final?

U.P. Panchayat poll: Is BJP looking to bypass the semi final? left Representative image. ANI ANI ANI Kanpur, Oct 13 (ANI): Voters show their Voter ID cards as they wait in a queue to cast their vote during the Bithoor Nagar Panchayat chairperson bypoll, in Kanpur on Tuesday. (ANI Photo) The Allahabad High Court’s directive to the Uttar Pradesh government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to complete the three-tier panchayat elections within three months has sparked conversations in village chaupals New Delhi “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,” says a village Pradhan from Kasganj district in Uttar Pradesh, citing the delay in local body elections in the State. The Allahabad High Court’s directive to the Uttar Pradesh government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to complete the three-tier panchayat elections within three months has sparked conversations in village chaupals.

Uttar Pradesh elections: Samajwadi Party to release election manifesto on November 26 Uttar Pradesh elections: Samajwadi Party to release election manifesto on November 26 It will include separate documents for women, youth and a manifesto on law and order, highlighting party’s commitment on these issues apart from focus on social justice and PDA plank  Uttar Pradesh elections: Samajwadi Party to release election manifesto on November 26 storyline 1 The State government had deferred the elections, due after the previous term expired in May 2026, to await a report from the Dedicated Backward Classes Commission on OBC reservations.

The government put an interim arrangement in place where the outgoing Gram Pradhans are temporarily functioning as administrators until the new elected bodies take charge. However, the High Court ruled that the polls cannot be delayed past constitutional limits and must proceed under the existing 27% OBC reservation framework. The figure comes from the previous exercise before the 2021 polls, when, instead of a triple-test survey that investigates political backwardness, the State conducted a rapid survey to estimate the OBC population for reservation purposes.

Hold panchayat polls in U.P. within 3 months: HC to State poll body Hold panchayat polls in U.P. within 3 months: HC to State poll body The petitioner had moved the court seeking direction to the poll body to place on record a detailed time-bound schedule for completion of the entire panchayat election process well before the expiry of the district panchayat tenure Hold panchayat polls in U.P.

within 3 months: HC to State poll body storyline 1 Political observers and opposition leaders argued that the State government knew the May 2026 expiration date and could have set up the commission months, or even a year, in advance to prevent a governance vacuum. They reminded the court that the Supreme Court-mandated “triple test” formula for providing Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in local body elections has been in place since 2010 and was made mandatory by the Supreme Court in 2021.

Welcoming the High Court order, Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said the State is ready to hold the polls. “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 said in a media conference.

Former IAS officer Divya Mittal announces new party, to contest 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls Former IAS officer Divya Mittal announces new party, to contest 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls On August 30, this year the 2013-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer announced her resignation from the service in a social media post calling her 13-year journey as unforgettable Former IAS officer Divya Mittal announces new party, to contest 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls storyline 1 However, Rashtriya Panchayatiraj Gram Pradhan Sangathan (RPGPS), an organisation that advocates for the rights of village heads and Panchayati Raj institutions, said it would challenge the order in the Supreme Court because the court requires reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) against its triple test formula, which says if the Triple Test requirements (including forming a dedicated commission) are not met, the seats reserved for OBCs must be treated as unreserved/open category seats.

It further claimed a significant discrepancy between voter lists prepared for panchayat elections and those for assembly polls. “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. He pointed out that this was the first time gram pradhans have been made administrators after their tenures expired to manage routine affairs.

“Hence, we should not rush into the election process that harms rural governance by trying to bypass incomplete voter rolls and ongoing OBC triple test surveys,” he said. The crucial Uttar Pradesh test of the BJP’s hegemony The crucial Uttar Pradesh test of the BJP’s hegemony The State’s changing electoral landscape, marked by the BJP losing ground in 2024, raises questions about how long the party’s political dominance can endure The crucial Uttar Pradesh test of the BJP’s hegemony opinion 1 Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Congress MP Tanuj Punia, and AAP leader Sanjay Singh have also flagged discrepancies in voter lists.

While several Indian states borrow, sync, or adopt the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) master voter list for local elections, U.P. is one of the few exceptions, strictly maintaining its own independent electoral rolls for local body polls. A leader of the Primary School Teachers’ union, associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said that when SIR was presented as a panacea for all ill…