1. How Uttar Pradesh Is Governed
Uttar Pradesh has the largest legislature and the largest number of Lok Sabha seats of any state. Its government reaches villages through the revenue system (tehsils and Lekhpals) and through Panchayati Raj. This lesson covers both.
Legislature and representation in Parliament
- UP has a bicameral legislature: the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) and the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council).
- The Vidhan Sabha has 403 elected members. The normal term is five years. The last general election was held in 2022, so the next is due in 2027.
- The Vidhan Parishad has 100 members: 38 elected by MLAs, 36 by local bodies, 8 by graduates, 8 by teachers, and 10 nominated by the Governor.
- UP sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, the most of any state, and 31 members to the Rajya Sabha.
- Governor (as of October 2026): Anandiben Patel, in office since July 2019; she is the longest-serving Governor of UP. Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath, in office since March 2017.
Judiciary and district administration
- The Allahabad High Court, established in 1866, sits at Prayagraj and has a bench at Lucknow (since 1948). It has the largest sanctioned number of judges of any High Court in India.
- Each district is headed by a District Magistrate (Collector). Districts are grouped into 18 divisions, each under a Divisional Commissioner.
- A district is divided into tehsils headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and a Tehsildar. The Board of Revenue is at Prayagraj.
- The Lekhpal is the village-level revenue official. He or she keeps land records such as the khatauni, checks crops and boundaries, and helps issue certificates.
- Development blocks are headed by a Block Development Officer (BDO). The Village Development Officer (VDO) and the Gram Panchayat Adhikari work with gram panchayats on schemes and records.
Panchayati Raj in UP
- UP has a three-tier system: Gram Panchayat (village), Kshetra Panchayat (block) and Zila Panchayat (district).
- The Gram Panchayat is headed by the Gram Pradhan, elected directly by voters. The Gram Sabha is made up of all adult voters of the village.
- The Kshetra Panchayat is headed by the Pramukh, and the Zila Panchayat by the Adhyaksh. Both are elected by the elected members.
- Panchayat elections are conducted by the UP State Election Commission. Seats are reserved for SC, ST, OBC and women (at least one third).
- The main laws are the UP Panchayat Raj Act, 1947 and the UP Kshettra Panchayat and Zila Panchayat Adhiniyam, 1961.
Quick facts
- Vidhan Sabha
- 403 seats
- Vidhan Parishad
- 100 seats
- Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha
- 80 / 31
- High Court
- Allahabad (Prayagraj), est. 1866; Lucknow bench
- Governor (Oct 2026)
- Anandiben Patel (since 2019)
- Chief Minister (Oct 2026)
- Yogi Adityanath (since 2017)
- Village revenue official
- Lekhpal
- Panchayati Raj tiers
- Gram Panchayat, Kshetra Panchayat, Zila Panchayat
💡 Numbers like 403, 100, 80 and 31 are asked again and again. Write them on a card and read it daily until they stick.
📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.
