Allahabad High Court orders UP panchayat polls within three months

The Allahabad High Court directed the State Election Commission to complete reservation and conduct panchayat polls within three months. The order intensifies political scrutiny over delays and the pending OBC reservation exercise.Stock photo used for illustrationPrayagraj,Oct 14, 2026 20:15 ISTThe Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed the State Election Commission to hold elections to Uttar Pradesh's Panchayati Raj institutions within three months and complete the reservation process within the same period.The Congress and the Samajwadi Party welcomed the order and accused the BJP government of delaying the polls because it feared defeat. Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister OP Rajbhar also welcomed the order and said the government would respond after examining it.A bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Garima Prashad passed the order on a petition filed by Dashrath Yadav. He had sought a direction to the State Election Commission to submit a detailed, time-bound schedule for completing the panchayat election process well before the end of the district panchayats' tenure."It is expected from respondent No. 2 (State Election Commission) that the entire schedule of holding the election should be finalised and brought on record before the next date of listing," the court observed while allowing the plea. Earlier, the Additional Chief Standing Counsel had told the court that the state government had appointed an OBC Commission to determine reservation for Other Backward Classes. He said elections to the posts of gram pradhans and members of gram panchayats could not be held until the exercise was completed, as reservation would be part of the election process. The commission has not yet submitted its report.Asked how the government planned to meet the three-month deadline for the three-tier elections to Zila Panchayats at the district level, Kshetra Panchayats at the block level and Gram Panchayats at the village level, Rajbhar said, "We will give a detailed response when we see the full order." The deadline means the rural elections will have to be held by January 2027. The Registrar General of India has announced that population enumeration will be conducted in Uttar Pradesh and three other poll-bound states from December 1 to January 4, 2027. Elections from Graduate and Teachers' constituencies to choose 11 Members of the Legislative Council are under way and will conclude on October 23, 2026. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are due early next year."It's going to be a busy period till the 2027 polls," a senior official said.Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Aradhana Mishra 'Mona' said the court's decision was an important step towards strengthening democracy and raised serious questions about the state government's functioning. She said the five-year term of the panchayats had ended but elections had not been held.Mishra alleged that the BJP government was affecting people's democratic rights by postponing the elections and retaining outgoing village heads as administrators. She claimed the government feared that rural discontent would be reflected in the panchayat polls and could affect the 2027 Assembly elections.She also raised concerns about the collection of data for OBC reservation, saying the High Court had questioned whether the exercise was adequate. The Congress demanded that the panchayat elections be held within three months, adequate and reliable data be collected for OBC reservation, and the constitutional rights of backward classes be protected.Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand also accused the BJP of repeatedly postponing the elections because it feared defeat. He said the polls should have been held in May or June but had been delayed until October."The BJP has been continuously postponing panchayat elections for fear of defeat," Chand claimed. He said the Samajwadi Party respected the judiciary's decision and would not comment on the ruling. He also claimed that the outcome of the panchayat elections would be similar to that of the Assembly polls and asserted that the BJP would lose both.The High Court has directed the State Election Commission to complete the reservation exercise and hold the three-tier panchayat elections within three months, even as the government prepares its detailed response and opposition parties press for the deadline to be met.- Ends