UP elections: BJP forms team to reach out to UP panchayat representatives ahead of polls

Around 3,050 Zila Panchayat members, 826 Block Pramukhs and 58,000 Gram Panchayats in focus

New Delhi: BJP president Nitin Nabin has formed a group of leaders with a specific mandate: to establish a connect with local body representatives and hear their grievances ahead of next year's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Sources in the BJP told ET that local body representatives will play an important role in the assembly polls as they command support bases ranging from 2,500 to 10,000 votes. During the 2025 Bihar elections, the party experimented with this strategy on a smaller scale. Now, with Nabin at the helm, the party is repeating the exercise across UP.


Nabin has selected former Madhya Pradesh BJP president VD Sharma to head the group, with Mant MLA Rajesh Chaudhary and Bihar BJP MLC Santosh Singh assisting him in the task.

The BJP usually deploys leaders from other states to oversee election campaigns in poll-bound states. This practice will continue in Uttar Pradesh, with the new outreach exercise being undertaken in addition.

Uttar Pradesh has around 3,050 Zila Panchayat members. Of the 75 Zila Panchayat presidents, 67 belong to the BJP following the 2021 local body elections. The state also has 826 Block Pramukhs and around 58,000 Gram Panchayats, each headed by a sarpanch. The last local body elections were held in 2021, and the terms of the current representatives ended in May 2026. The state government has granted them an administrative extension until the next elections are held.

In October, the Allahabad High Court directed the State Election Commission to hold the panchayat elections within three months, ensuring 27% reservation for the OBC category, along with the existing reservation quotas for SC/STs and women. The state government is yet to take a decision on the court's directive. Against this backdrop, the BJP leaders assigned to the exercise are initially preparing a list of local body representatives. Nabin will hold a meeting with these leaders on November 12, and the outreach programme is expected to begin after November 15. The idea is to involve these representatives in the election campaign and leverage their grassroots influence for the party's benefit.

"These local body representatives work closely with people but largely remain underutilised during assembly polls. The party will hear their grievances and resolve them beforehand to ensure they actively contribute during the assembly elections," said a party leader familiar with the developments.