OBC reservation: Maharashtra government undecided over approaching SC

Chhagan Bhujbal, a senior NCP minister in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, said if the government doesn’t want to do anything then we will approach the Supreme Court for OBC reservation through their outfit

A day after promulgating an ordinance to provide up to 27% reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Maharashtra government is still undecided over approaching the Supreme Court (SC) as the state election commission already clarified that they have declared the bypolls in six zilla parishads (district councils) on the Apex Court directives and any change in it can be made with its directives only.

Supreme Court allowed the state election commission to hold local bodies polls, which is scheduled to be held on October 5 without OBC reservation. (HT PHOTO)

Meanwhile, Chhagan Bhujbal, a senior NCP minister in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, said if the government doesn’t want to do anything then we will approach the court for OBC reservation through their outfit.

Bhujbal is a food and civil supplies minister in the MVA government and heads an outfit — Akhil Bhartiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad (ABMPSP). It has held agitations for OBC reservation after SC scrapped the reservation.

“No one has the right to interfere once the elections are declared. The Supreme Court in one of its verdicts has made this very clear. It won’t make any difference even if the state government decides to approach the Apex court. The ordinance can be implemented for the upcoming election in local bodies,” said a senior minister, wishing not to be named.

“The state government is yet to decide the next course of action but if they don’t, then we will approach the Supreme Court,” said Bhujbal, who is also an OBC leader.

State rural development minister Hasan Mushrif did not respond to calls and text messages.

The state government on Friday issued an ordinance that provides up to 27% reservation to the OBC community in rural local bodies. But the issue could not be resolved as the state election commission has refused to implement the ordinance for the bypolls in six districts to be held on October 5. It has also told the state government that it will not be possible for them to provide reservation to the OBC community in the bypolls as they are holding them on the Apex court directives.

The ordinance issued by the rural development department stated that the combined reservation quota comprising Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC will not breach the 50% ceiling as mandated by the Supreme Court. For urban local bodies, it is in the process of promulgating an ordinance for OBC reservation in urban local bodies with approval from Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Chief secretary Sitaram Kunte said they wrote to the state election commission for implementing the ordinance from the bypolls itself but they replied in negative. “Soon after the cabinet decision, we wrote to the state election commission requesting to consider the fresh reservation quota for holding bypolls in the backdrop of the ordinance. We told them if not considered then it may antagonize the OBC community, which may lead to a law and order situation in the state but they said they are unable to consider it at this stage and are following SC orders,” Kunte told HT.

“The commission further assured to consider the amendment for OBC reservation if the Apex court issues fresh directives,” he added.

On March 4, the Supreme Court scrapped the 27% OBC reservation in the local bodies elections and directed the state to appoint a dedicated commission for collecting empirical data, based on which reservation for the community could be fixed. It also allowed the state election commission to hold local bodies polls, which is scheduled to be held on October 5 without OBC reservation.

State BJP unit asked the state government to approach the Apex court to postpone the bypolls. “By completing all the legal process, the MVA government should approach the Supreme Court to postpone the bypolls scheduled on October 5,” said Chandrashekhar Bawankule, general secretary, state BJP unit.