Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Monday approved the formation of an Other Backward Classes (OBC) commission for conducting panchayat elections in the state. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Elections only after report; likely post-2027 Assembly polls
The commission will determine reservation for OBCs in panchayat elections and only after its report is submitted will the election process move forward. With the panel expected to take up to six months to complete its work, the panchayat elections are now likely to be held after the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The commission will comprise five members and will be headed by a retired High Court judge. Its tenure has been fixed at six months, which means the report may be submitted by November 2026. Reservation for various seats in gram panchayats, block panchayats and district panchayats will be decided only after the report is finalised.
Move complies with Allahabad High Court order of Feb 4, 2025
The move comes in compliance with a February 4, 2025 order of the Allahabad High Court directing the state government to constitute such a commission before conducting local body polls with OBC reservation.
The report and survey conducted by the commission will determine which panchayat seats in different regions will be reserved for OBC candidates, including women and men, and which seats will remain unreserved.
Linked to Supreme Court's 'triple test' formula for OBC quota
The state government’s decision is linked to the “triple test” formula laid down by the Supreme Court for granting OBC reservation in local body elections. The apex court had ruled that states must complete a dedicated exercise before implementing OBC quotas in local bodies such as gram panchayats and zila panchayats.
Officials said the formation of the commission is aimed at fulfilling the mandatory legal requirements under the triple test. Without the commission’s report, any direct implementation of reservation could have faced legal challenges and potentially stalled the elections.
Three responsibilities: data, 50% cap, seat proportion
The commission will have three major responsibilities. It will first collect data to assess the population of backward classes and their need for political representation at block and panchayat levels. It will also ensure that total reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs together does not exceed the 50 per cent ceiling fixed by courts. Based on its findings, it will recommend the proportion of reserved seats in each local body according to the OBC population.
The timing of the decision is significant as the tenure of existing panchayat representatives is ending this month. The last panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh were held in 2021 and the five-year term of elected representatives is scheduled to end on May 25 and 26, 2026.
Under constitutional provisions, fresh elections are required to be completed before the expiry of the existing term. However, with the reservation exercise now linked to the commission’s report, the election schedule is expected to be pushed back considerably.
