Lucknow – As Uttar Pradesh gears up for the upcoming three-tier Panchayat elections, the state government has initiated the delimitation process of gram panchayats and revenue villages. Following the 2021 Panchayat elections, several villages were merged into urban local bodies, resulting in the loss of their autonomous rural status. The government has now decided to pause the formation and expansion of urban bodies and prioritize the delimitation of villages first.
Proposals for the delimitation process have been sought from all districts by June 5. A four-member committee has been constituted for on-ground verification of revenue villages and gram panchayats that have not yet been merged into urban bodies but have a population exceeding 1,000. Around 1,000 such villages are expected to be included in the gram panchayat structure.
The committee comprises the Additional District Magistrate (Administration), Chief Development Officer (CDO), District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO), and the District Economics and Statistics Officer. These officials will oversee the verification and ensure accurate inclusion.
Villages that lack urban amenities or have expressed unwillingness to be included in urban local bodies will remain within the rural governance framework and be assimilated into gram panchayats. However, villages that have already been merged into urban bodies or are in the process of doing so will be excluded from the delimitation process.
Currently, Uttar Pradesh has 57,691 gram panchayats, spread across 826 development blocks in 75 districts. With Panchayat elections tentatively scheduled for April-May 2026, the State Government and the Department of Panchayati Raj are keen to complete the delimitation in a timely manner. The decision to halt urban body expansion has provided clarity and momentum to the process.
The Panchayat elections will elect representatives for nearly 8 lakh posts, including Gram Pradhans (village heads), Gram Panchayat members, Kshetra Panchayat (block-level) members, and Zila Panchayat (district-level) members.
