State minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Wednesday that the Maharashtra government will bring an ordinance to give OBC quota to a group of local bodies without exceeding the 50 per cent limit mandated by the Supreme Court on reservation in the upcoming bypolls. A decision to this effect was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray here.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bhujbal said, the cabinet has decided to issue an ordinance that will provide electoral reservation to OBCs in the upcoming by-elections. Reservation will be based on (OBC) population in the constituency where the by-elections are scheduled. The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister said Maharashtra has taken cues from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to provide political quota through an ordinance.
It is true that reservation will reduce by 10 to 12 per cent in some districts, but the ordinance will protect about 90 per cent of the electoral quota overall. Bhujbal said, the state has decided to take the ordinance route on the lines of similar decisions taken earlier by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Supreme Court had in March this year read the citing non-availability of OBC quota in some local governing bodies in the state. Empirical data to substantiate the reservation percentage. The top court had said that the total reservation should not exceed 50 per cent.
OBCs used to get 27 per cent reservation in the electoral wards of municipal bodies and district councils. When asked how the state will deal with the 50 per cent cap on cumulative reservation, the minister said, “We will not cross the 50 per cent limit.” . Therefore, we are giving up a part of reservation in some areas to keep our electoral quota within the 50 per cent limit.
Instead of losing the entire quota, the cabinet decided to leave a part of it and retain the remaining quota. Meanwhile, the state will request the central government to share empirical data with it (on the OBC population).” On Monday, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced that the by-elections to six Zilla Parishads (ZPs) and Panchayat Samitis would be held under them. For the seats which have fallen vacant after the Supreme Court’s decision on OBC quota, it will be held on October 5.
The SEC had said that by-elections will be held for 85 wards in district councils and 144 seats in panchayat samitis, which come under their (ZP) jurisdiction. The by-elections are Dhule, Nandurbar, Akola, Washim, Nagpur and Palghar and the panchayat samitis under their jurisdiction. In the first week of September, an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Thackeray unanimously decided to hold the local body elections then be postponed until the State Backward Classes Commission compiles empirical data giving a clear picture on the political backwardness of OBCs.
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