A day after the Allahabad high court directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct panchayat elections within three months, the Rashtriya Panchayatiraj Gram Pradhan Sangathan (RPGPS) on Thursday said it would challenge the order in the Supreme Court next week.
The state government, too, is likely to challenge the order, sources said.
A division bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Garima Prasad had issued the order on Wednesday. The bench also ordered that outgoing pradhans continue as administrators until the polls are held.
“We welcome the high court order. The court has upheld the decision to appoint pradhans as administrators, who will now continue in the role until the elections. However, we will challenge the second part of the order, directing that panchayat elections be held within three months, in the Supreme Court next week,” RPGPS national president Akhilesh Singh said.
Singh said the organisation had two main reasons for challenging the deadline. “First, a 2021 Supreme Court ruling requires reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in panchayat elections, for which the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a commission. The commission needs to visit all 75 districts, but it has so far covered only around 40, and data from fewer than 10 districts has been made public. In such circumstances, implementing the reservation does not seem possible,” he said.
“The other reason is the discrepancy between voter lists prepared for panchayat elections and those for the assembly polls. I would put the discrepancy at around 24%,” Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}“The other reason is the discrepancy between voter lists prepared for panchayat elections and those for the assembly polls. I would put the discrepancy at around 24%,” Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}The state government is examining the high court order and its implications. Senior officials of the panchayati raj department held a meeting to discuss the order, legal issues and possible further action.
“We are studying the high court order at present. All aspects will be examined and analysed before any further steps are taken,” a senior official said.
Sources said the government was likely to challenge the order in the Supreme Court, citing administrative constraints.
The second phase of census is scheduled from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027, while the notification for assembly elections is likely in the first week of January, sources said. They added that the government would find it difficult to hold panchayat elections during this period, while the Opposition would not want to divide its time, resources and campaign efforts between the two polls.
The Dedicated Backward Classes Commission for rural local bodies, constituted on May 20 following a Supreme Court order to determine OBC reservation in three-tier panchayat elections, has a six-month term ending November 20. It has completed surveys and visits in around 40 of the state’s 75 districts, and its report is awaited. Sources in the commission said an appeal against the high court order was highly likely.
Gram pradhans’ terms ended on May 25, after which they were appointed administrators. Block pramukhs and zila panchayat chairpersons were also made administrators in July after their terms ended.
Commission chairman Ram Autar Singh said the commission would decide its next course of action after examining the high court order. If asked to submit its report earlier, members could split into two or three teams to cover the remaining districts simultaneously, sources in the commission said.
“The state government is seeking legal opinion on the issue and will act accordingly,” BJP chief spokesperson Dinesh Pratap Singh said.