If not in April, will UP Panchayat elections be held in September-October? Know the reason for delay

Uttar Pradesh

Uncertainty is increasing regarding the dates of the proposed three-tier Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh. The deadline for releasing the final voter list has been extended by the State Election Commission, due to which the election schedule is expected to be postponed. Now the final voter list will be published on 28 March 2026. Earlier this list was to be released in February, but due to the large number of claims and objections and the lengthy verification process, the time had to be extended.

Due to this delay, it is considered difficult to hold Panchayat elections in April-May. At the same time, due to non-completion of the process related to OBC reservation, speculations about postponement of elections till September-October have increased.

Delay in voter list became a major reason

According to the State Election Commission, lakhs of claims and objections were received under the Voter List Revision Campaign 2025-26. Disposal of these, checking of duplicate names, document verification and finalizing the manuscripts are taking additional time.

In the preliminary list released on December 18, 2025, about 40.19 lakh new voters were added compared to the previous elections. The draft list was published on 6 January 2026 and claims and objections were invited till 6 February. Due to the large number of applications received, the date of the final list was extended to March 28.

Formation of OBC Commission is also pending

It is necessary to constitute OBC Commission to decide reservation in Panchayat elections. The commission has not been formed yet. After the formation of the commission, it may take at least 3 months to 6 months to survey the district-wise OBC population, analyze the data and prepare the report.

In such a situation, it does not seem possible to hold elections in April-May and the election schedule may be postponed.

It will take time even after the final list

According to the program of the Commission, computerization of supplementary lists and determination of polling stations will take place from February 21 to March 16. After this, numbering of polling stations, mapping and voter numbers will be decided from 17th to 27th March.

Even after the final list is published on March 28, it may take about a month to resolve the objections. The election schedule is likely to be announced only after this.

Why talk about September-October?

Due to delay in voter list and pending OBC reservation process, the discussion of postponing the Panchayat elections to September-October instead of April or May has intensified. Although the State Election Commission has not yet announced the official dates of the elections, the possibility of postponing the elections is not being ruled out in view of the slow pace of administrative preparations.

At present, a clear picture of the Panchayat elections will emerge only after the final voter list is released and the OBC reservation process is completed.