LUCKNOW, July 25 -- Ahead of the upcoming panchayat elections, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to redraw the urban landscape of the state by expanding the boundaries of existing cities and upgrading rural pockets into new urban local bodies. The initiative, aimed at public welfare, is intended to enhance access to civic services and augment the financial capacity of municipal institutions. According to senior officials in the urban development department, the move is expected to increase the state's urban population share from the current 22% to approximately 35%, marking a substantial shift in the rural-urban governance balance. This expansion will bring more people under the ambit of structured urban governance, enabling better delivery of infrastructure and public services. The state government plans to create around 97 new nagar panchayats and expand the jurisdiction of over 107 existing urban bodies, including municipal corporations (nagar nigams), municipal councils (palika parishads), and nagar panchayats. The move will simultaneously reduce the number of gram panchayats and bring fast-growing rural clusters under urban management, officials said. Currently, U.P. has 762 urban local bodies, comprising 17 municipal corporations, over 200 palika parishads, and 545 nagar panchayats. According to officials of the urban development department, the exercise serves dual objectives -- strengthening urban governance and increasing municipal revenues. With expanded jurisdictions, local bodies will have broader tax bases, enabling them to invest more in infrastructure, sanitation, water supply, and digital services. "The transition of rural settlements into urban bodies is being carried out in the interest of planned development, infrastructure expansion, and public convenience," a senior official said, adding, "It will allow thousands of citizens to benefit from formal civic services that they currently lack." Several municipal bodies are set to absorb adjacent villages. Ghorawal Nagar Panchayat (Sonbhadra) will incorporate two nearby villages. Ghughli (Maharajganj) will add seven villages to its jurisdiction. Similar expansions are expected in Barabanki, Aligarh, Lalitpur, Saharanpur, Hathras and Kannauj. In addition, three new nagar panchayats will be created in the first phase. Shripalpur (Basti) is set to be created with 17 villages. Bhadar Khas (Gorakhpur) with 19 villages and Hiloli (Unnao) with eight villages will soon be nagar panchayats. The boundaries of major urban bodies are also under review, officials said. Ghaziabad and Firozabad are likely to be the municipal corporations whose limits will be expanded. Several palika parishads will also see jurisdictional enlargement, they added....