No Fresh Delimitation Before Bihar Panchayat Polls 2026, New Reservation Roster Announced

Brief By Newsbrief / 1:29 PM on 07 Jan 2026

The Bihar government has taken a major decision ahead of the 2026 panchayat general elections, announcing that there will be no fresh delimitation of election areas before the polls. As a result, the existing boundaries of wards, panchayats and other local bodies will remain unchanged for the upcoming three-tier elections. Preparations for the statewide exercise have already begun.

According to official figures, Bihar has 8,053 mukhiya posts and an equal number of gram kachahari positions. There are 11,307 ward member posts, 11,497 panchayat samiti member seats, over 1.13 lakh panch posts, and 1,162 district council positions to be filled through the elections.

The State Election Commission, Bihar clarified that while delimitation will not be carried out, a new reservation roster will be implemented for the 2026 polls. This change is in line with provisions of the Bihar Panchayati Raj Act, which mandates updating the roster after every two election cycles. The same roster was used in the 2016 and 2021 elections, but a revised one will govern the upcoming polls, potentially altering the reservation status of several seats.