LUCKNOW, May 24 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated the process for the village panchayat elections scheduled for May next year by issuing a government order (GO) mandating the delimitation of village panchayats.

This exercise has become necessary due to the merger of hundreds of villages into urban local bodies like nagar panchayats, municipal councils and municipal corporations since the last panchayat elections in 2021.

Currently, there are around 58,000 village panchayats in the state, but the number is expected to decrease following the delimitation.

"We have issued the GO asking district magistrates to initiate the process for the delimitation of village panchayats, redrawing their boundaries in view changes in their st...