LUCKNOW, March 19 -- Even as villages across Uttar Pradesh have slipped into poll mode ahead of the panchayat elections scheduled for April-May, uncertainty looms over the electoral calendar amid indications that the three-tier rural body polls may be deferred.

Sources in the government said the possibility of postponement is being weighed in the backdrop of the 2027 assembly elections. There are concerns within the ruling establishment that holding panchayat polls ahead of the state elections could trigger local disputes and tensions among party workers, potentially affecting the political environment in the run-up to the assembly polls.

Panchayati Raj minister OP Rajbhar, however, has maintained that elections will be held on time. "A...