Ayodhya Municipal Corporation

Local self-government for Ayodhya and Faizabad was introduced in 1865. The two cities were administered jointly as a municipality.^[1] The joint municipality was split on 7 January 1978 into Ayodhya Municipal Council (Nagar Nigam Parishad Ayodhya) and Faizabad Municipal Corporation (Nagar Nigam Faizabad).^[4] The Government of Uttar Pradesh made an order in May 2017, merging the two municipal corporations as Ayodhya Municipal Corporation.^[4] The governance framework, jurisdiction and function of municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh (UP) are governed by the UP Municipalities Act 1916, and the UP Municipal Corporations Act 1959.^[4] The election for the governing body is conducted by the State Election Commission, which has its office in Faizabad.^[5]

The Uttar Pradesh state government established an agency called the Ayodhya-Faizabad Development Authority (AFDA) on 2 November 1985, "to enhance the level of sustainable development of the historic twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad."^[6] In 2018, the Ayodhya–Faizabad Development Authority approved a proposal to add 2.0 km² (500 acres).^[7] The agency is now called the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA).^[6] The Ayodhya Development Authority produced the Ayodhya Master Plan 2031.^[6] The first phase of the plan added 133 km² (33,000 acres) and 65 villages.^[8] The second phase added 189 villages from Basti and Gonda districts, increasing the area governed by the municipal corporation to 873 km² (216,000 acres), and would be expected to increase the population to 1.4 million by 2031.^[8]

Ayodhya Municipal Corporation has a total of 60 members or corporators, who are directly elected after a term of 5 years. The council is led by the Mayor. The latest elections were held on 11 May 2023.^[9] Girish Pati Tripathi of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the current mayor of the city of Ayodhya.^[2]