UP govt ready for panchayat polls, awaiting OBC panel report: Minister

Once the report comes, the government will announce the dates and the election process will move forward. Everything will become clear within a month, says OP Rajbhar

A couple of days after the Allahabad high court directed the State Election Commission to hold panchayati raj elections in Uttar Pradesh within three months, panchayati raj minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said on Friday that the government is prepared and awaiting the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission report.

Uttar Pradesh panchayati raj minister Om Prakash Rajbhar. (HT file)

Speaking at a membership induction event of his Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) in Lucknow, he said: “Once the report comes, the government will announce the dates and the election process will move forward. Everything will become clear within a month. There will be no need to approach the Supreme Court. Ballot papers have already reached districts. We are not backing away from the elections.” During the event, 76 leaders and workers from other parties joined the SBSP.

The Uttar Pradesh State Rural Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission was constituted in May this year in compliance with the Supreme Court directives to determine OBC reservation in the three-tier panchayat institutions.

It had an initial six-month tenure from the date of appointment (expected to run until around mid-November 2026), with provision for extension if required. The Allahabad high court, in its recent order, also noted that the commission may continue its work within the prescribed period or any extended period granted by the government.

The five-member panel is headed by retired Allahabad high court Justice Ram Avtar Singh. Its members include retired additional district judges Brijesh Kumar and Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma, along with retired IAS officers Dr Arvind Kumar Chaurasia and SP Singh.