The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to appoint the existing chairpersons of all 75 district panchayats as administrators after their tenure completes, allowing them to continue in the office till fresh panchayat elections are held in the state. The development comes just a day before the existing tenures of the district panchayat chairpersons ends.
In an official order released on Friday evening, the Uttar Pradesh government stated that respective district magistrates (DMs) have been authorised to appoint the district panchayat chairpersons to carry out the "routine administrative functions" of the district panchayats. However, it stated that the chairpersons would not be allowed to take "any policy decisions".
"Accordingly, after the expiry of the current District Panchayats' term on July 11, 2026, with effect from July 12, 2026, the incumbent District Panchayat Chairpersons shall function as Administrators of their respective District Panchayats until the newly elected bodies are constituted or for a maximum period of six months, whichever is earlier," the order stated.
"The Administrators shall perform only routine functions and shall not take any policy decisions. Any proposals involving policy matters or special circumstances shall be submitted to the State Government through the concerned District Magistrates for appropriate consideration," it added.
Allahabad HC seeks govt's response over constitutional validity of UP Panchayat Raj Act
The local body elections in Uttar Pradesh were slated to be held this year, but in a May 25 order, the state government appointed village pradhans as administrators of gram panchayats after the expiry of their five-year term. The Allahabad High Court had earlier questioned the government over its decision.
On Friday, the high court again sought the government's response over a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act under which the May 25 order was issued. The observation was made by division bench of justices Rajan Roy and Manjari Shukla in Lucknow and the next hearing will take place on August 4.
"Even if we decide to refer the matter to a Larger Bench hereinafter, the question still remains as to how the State Government passed the impugned order in the teeth of the Division Bench which is the law of the land as of now," the high court said.
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