Allahabad High Court orders Uttar Pradesh panchayat polls within three months
The court directed the State Election Commission to complete the local elections under the existing reservation arrangement, including 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes.
The Allahabad High Court on October 14 directed Uttar Pradesh’s State Election Commission to complete panchayat elections within three months, setting a deadline for the state’s local polls after petitions sought a timetable before district panchayat tenures expired.
The court directed the state government and election commission to take the preparatory steps, issue an election programme and complete village panchayat elections within three months of the judgment, according to The Hindu’s account of the order.
How the reservation framework affects the polls
The Hindu reported that the court ordered elections under the existing reservation arrangement, including 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes. It said seats reserved for OBC candidates should not become open seats solely because an inquiry by the Dedicated Commission remains pending.
Reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women should also be maintained under applicable laws, subject to the aggregate ceiling for vertical reservation, The Hindu reported. The Times of India said the state government had argued that elections for gram pradhans and gram panchayat members could not be held until the OBC reservation exercise was completed.
Why petitioners sought an election timetable
The Hindu identified Dashrath Yadav and others as the petitioners and said a bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Garima Prashad allowed their plea. The petition sought a detailed, time-bound schedule for completing the election process before district panchayat tenures expired. The New Indian Express reported that the petitions argued the polls should have been held by May 26, 2026, or earlier.
The New Indian Express said the court had asked the State Election Commission whether it could conduct elections under Article 243E of the Constitution and why polls could not be held within the stipulated period. Uttar Pradesh has 57,695 gram panchayats, 826 Kshetra Panchayats and 75 Zila Panchayats, according to the same report, showing the scale of the election process covered by the dispute.
Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister O.P. Rajbhar welcomed the order and said he would give a detailed response after seeing the full text, The Times of India reported.
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Sources and context
- Hold panchayat polls in U.P. within 3 months: HC to State poll bodyThe Hindu (PTI report)
- Allahabad HC directs UP to hold panchayat polls within three monthsThe New Indian Express
- HC directs SEC to conduct UP panchayat polls within 3 monthsThe Times of India
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.