Lucknow. Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to make major changes regarding the voter list before the Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh. Amidst the ongoing political controversy across the country regarding voter list and election process, the state government is going to bring such a legal provision which will make it difficult to arbitrarily include names in the voter list of villages. For this, a proposal to amend the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1947 has been prepared. This initiative of the government aims to increase transparency of voter list in Panchayat elections and curb alleged irregularities for electoral gains.
According to media reports, the Panchayati Raj Department has prepared the draft of the amendment and sent it to the Council of Ministers for approval on October 15, 2026. The proposal is mainly related to Section 9(3) of the Act, under which the eligibility of ordinary residence has been determined for registering the name in the voter list of the Gram Panchayat. However, there has been no official confirmation of the proposal getting final approval yet.
Rules for adding names to village voter list will be clear
Under the proposed change, it will be made clear under what circumstances a person will be considered an ordinary resident of the concerned Gram Panchayat. In the present system, disputes regarding common residence have been coming to the fore. Many times during elections, allegations are made of including names of people in the voter list who actually live at some other place.
On the other hand, eligible voters living in villages may also have to face problems due to residence related disputes. The government’s effort is to set clear parameters to solve these problems.
After the implementation of the new provisions, the claims for inclusion of names in the voter list will be scrutinized in a more systematic manner. It is expected that this will increase transparency in the electoral process and reduce disputes related to voter lists.
Process accelerated after High Court order
The instructions of Allahabad High Court are also being said to have an important role behind this proposal. According to the information, on December 17, 2019, the High Court had directed the state government to make necessary criteria to determine the ordinary resident.
In the special appeal related to Rajesh Kumar and Savitri Devi, questions were raised regarding eligibility for ordinary residence. Despite this, clear rules could not be prepared for a long time.
In the year 2026, the matter again reached before the division bench headed by Chief Justice Arun Bhansali. According to reports, the court expressed displeasure over the delay in complying with the directions and cautioned the government to take necessary action. After this, the Panchayati Raj Department accelerated the process of preparing the amendment proposal.
Mere possession of a house will not determine normal residence.
The condition of ordinary residence to become a voter already exists in Section 9(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act. According to the law, merely owning a house or occupying a house in a village is not a conclusive basis for ordinary residence.
Additionally, a person who temporarily resides outside the village does not lose his ordinary residence entitlement merely because of this. A dispute relating to the residence of a person must be decided on the basis of all the facts of his case.
There is a preparation to set additional criteria to implement these legal provisions, so that the concerned authorities can get clear guidance in deciding the eligibility.
Important role of voter list in Panchayat elections
In Uttar Pradesh, voter list is very important in the election of village head, gram panchayat member and other panchayat representatives. In many villages the difference between victory and defeat between the candidates remains a very small number of votes. In such a situation, there is a possibility that the election results may be affected due to wrong name being added to the voter list or the name of an eligible person being omitted.
During Panchayat elections, objections and complaints regarding voter list also come to the fore. Due to political competition at the local level, these disputes can also affect the social environment of the villages.
The government’s proposal aims to make the process of registering names in such circumstances more straightforward. However, how effective the new rules will be will depend on their final form and administrative implementation.
It is also necessary to protect the rights of genuine voters
During the change in law, it will also be necessary to ensure that the voting rights of eligible citizens who are temporarily living outside the village due to employment, education or other reasons are not affected.
Members of many rural families go to cities and other states for work. In such cases it will be important to take a decision based on the legal conditions of usual residence and the available facts.
As per the existing law, it is necessary to give a fair opportunity of being heard to any voter before removing or correcting any entry which affects his interest. Apart from this, the name of a person cannot be registered in the voter list of more than one Panchayat constituency.
The process will proceed after cabinet approval
Now the decision of the Council of Ministers is awaited on the proposal prepared by the Panchayati Raj Department. The new provisions will become effective only after approval and completion of necessary legal formalities.
This initiative of the government is expected to make the system of preparing voter list in Panchayat elections more transparent. However, the final rules do not specify which documents or additional criteria will be required for residence verification.
