With next year's panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, parties gear up to test waters for 2027

Indian Express

21-06-2025

ALTHOUGH PANCHAYAT elections in the state are not contested on symbols of political parties, considering the significant role played by the grassroot representatives in the Assembly elections, major political parties — both national and regional — have already begun preparations for the 2027 Assembly polls, treating the grassroots polls as a key battleground to show their strength.
In the recent past, several parties, be it NDA allies such as Apna Dal, NISHAD party, SBSP or INDIA alliance partners such as the Congress, announced that candidates they support should be fielded separately.
Although this sparked speculation over potential trouble for alliances for both the ruling BJP party and the INDIA alliance, leaders across party lines spoke to The Indian Express about the reasons for their parties to strongly pitch for supporting their own candidates in these polls while continuing with the alliances in the Assembly polls.
A mammoth affair
Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh are a mammoth affair, covering over 8 lakh posts, at different levels of panchayat. There are over 12 crore voters for the forthcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2021 polls, elections were held for 7.32 lakh wards across 58,189 Gram Panchayats, 75,855 wards of 826 Kshetra Panchayats, and 3,051 members of 75 Zila Panchayats. Despite being held during the pandemic, parties like the BJP had officially declared their list of supported candidates.
However, this time, it is not just the national parties but even the regional parties who are eying the polls to strengthen their ground and 'bargaining power'. With elections expected around January-February 2026, as per sources, preparations have begun much earlier.
Why parties are keen on chipping in
Both the NDA alliance partners and the INDIA alliance have emphasised the importance of clearly announcing their intention to contest these elections separately. They believe that strengthening their parties at the grassroots level is crucial, which includes supporting their grassroots workers, some of whom will contest these polls.
To address concerns that their participation in these elections might negatively impact their alliance partners, these parties clarified that since the elections are not held under party symbols, they can still form alliances for assembly polls. They believe their ground strength will ultimately benefit their alliance partners. Additionally, some partners of the NDA expressed willingness to support BJP-backed candidates for chairman positions while allowing their own candidates to run for grassroots-level positions.
'It is a small election focused on the workers. For the BJP to return to power in 2027, it is essential that the workers stay active. If alliance partners like myself, Ashish Patel, or SBSP each have 10,000 supporters in any segment, then our combined efforts would benefit the alliance,' explained Sanjay Nishad, Chief of the NISHAD party and a minister in the state government.
He cited an example from the previous panchayat elections, noting that the BJP and the NISHAD party had contested separately. In some segments of Sultanpur, candidates backed by the NISHAD party received more support than those from the BJP. However, when it came time for the Jila Panchayat Chairman election, most voters supported candidates aligned with the BJP. 'It is difficult for our workers to reach the level of contesting MLA elections, but these are their elections, and our candidates would certainly weaken the Samajwadi Party (SP),' he added.
'All smaller parties empower themselves, and we are also preparing for the panchayat elections,' said Apna Dal leader and Union Minister Anupriya Patel. She assured they would remain allied with NDA.
Direct block pramukh elections this time?
Uttar Pradesh's Panchayati Raj Minister and Chief of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar, recently announced that following multiple discussions with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, an agreement has been reached to conduct Block Pramukh elections directly through public voting. At present, these elections are held indirectly, with candidates being selected by Block Development Committee members, which has led to concerns about corruption.
Rajbhar said the chief minister has agreed to send this proposal to the central government. 'After four rounds of dialogue, he has given his approval for the proposal to be forwarded to the centre. The goal is to eliminate the influence of money and muscle power,' Rajbhar explained. Although an official decision is still pending, both NDA allies and opposition parties have expressed their support for the proposal.
Sanjay Nishad affirmed their backing for direct elections, stating, 'This change would reduce the likelihood of candidates winning through financial means and provide opportunities for grassroots workers.'
Previously, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has also backed this proposal. 'What do we, as opposition or regional parties, have to lose? It is the BJP that has a bigger stake in this election and faces significant infighting since they are in power. By contesting these elections independently, we can strengthen our presence on the ground. We have already asked all our leaders interested in running for the 2027 Assembly polls to identify and nominate their candidates for pradhans and other posts. This would not only enhance their chances but also represent the party effectively,' said a senior Congress leader.
The ruling BJP has also begun its preparations by forming committees. These committees will aid in the ongoing delimitation process, which is being closely monitored by opposition parties.
However, party leaders claim that their allies' decision to field candidates separately will not impact them. 'Every alliance partner has the right to grow and develop independently, and we see no issue with that. We are strong at the grassroots level,' said senior BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak.