In keeping with the Seventy-third Constitutional amendment 1992, Uttar Pradesh Kshetra Panchayat and Zila Panchayat Adhiniyam, 1961 was amended in 1994 to establish a three-tier Panchayati Raj Institution system of elected bodies. The amended Act envisaged decentralisation of power to rural self-governing bodies,viz., Gram Panchayat (GP) at village level, Kshetra Panchayat (KP) at intermediate level and Zila Panchayat (ZP) at the district level which till then were vested with the State Government.
The system of Panehayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) aimed at increasing participation of people in local governance and effective implementation of rural development programmes. The overall supervision, co-ordination, planning and implementation of developmental schemes vested with the ZP.
The total rural population of the State, as per Census 2011 (provisional), was 15.51 crore (13.17 crore as per census 2001). At the end of March 2011, there were 72 ZPs, 821 KPs and 51,914 GPs in the State.The last election to the elected bodies of the aforesaid PRIs was held during October-November 2010 in which 51,914 Gram Pradhans for GPs, 821 Pramukhs for KPs and 72 Adhyakshas for ZPs were elected.