The Allahabad high court on Wednesday ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare voters' list for elections to urban local bodies in the state "on a war footing" and issue notification for the polls by October 31.

Passing the order, a division bench comprising justices Amitava Lala and V K Mathur also made it clear that the voters' list shall be prepared "on the basis of 2011 census only and not on the basis of 2001 census".

Directing the census department to provide all the necessary data to the state government immediately, the court said, "Once the data is made available, the state government shall undertake preparation of voters' list, ward-wise, on a war footing...Thereafter, the notification for the elections shall be issued, latest by October 31, 2011."

The order came on a writ petition filed by Ajeet Jaiswal and others, who had moved the court with the contention that the tenure of the current urban local bodies was to expire on November 15 and the state government was duty-bound to ensure that elections are held by that time.

The Mayawati government has been under attack from opposition parties over the issue of urban local bodies.

The opposition parties have been alleging that the BSP regime was trying to deliberately delay the polls as the ruling party was wary of performing poorly in it, which could have a bearing on the state assembly elections due early next year.