LUCKNOW, May 25 -- 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 status since the last panchayat elections," principal secretary (panchayat) Anil Kumar told the HT. "The existing number of village panchayats is expected to come down following the delimitation exercise," he added. According to the GO issued on Friday, the reorganisation move stems from the fact that the creation and expansion of urban bodies have resulted in many revenue villages being absorbed into urban areas. P5...