The state of Uttar Pradesh in India adopted a three-tier system of Panchayats in 1961 based on the recommendations of Balwantrai Mehta Committee Report. In addition to village Panchayats, the Kshetra Samitis and Zilla Parishads were constituted under the Kshetra Samiti and Zilla Parishad Adhiniyam of 1961. UP did not enact a new Panchayati Raj legislation in conformity with the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment. It amended the two existing Acts namely the United Provinces Panchayat Raj Act, 1947 and the Uttar Pradesh Kshetra Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat Adhiniyam 1961, incorporating provisions to conform to the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. This paper looks into the basic systems, structures and the representations in place under the three-tier Panchayati Raj in the state. Information under the acts, related to the Panchayati Raj and the amendments made there of following the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment were studied and interpreted also other secondary sources were used. Besides, primary qualitative data from field survey using participatory tools like Focused Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII) were collected and analyzed to triangulate and supplement the information from the secondary sources. in sample these data to whatever in these acts with reference to the is primarily used to draw a picture and is supplemented by the field data collected from stake  holders of this system at all the three levels.

KEYWORDS:  Panchayati Raj, Panchayat, Three-Tier Panchayati Raj, FGD, KII.