SEC to start preparations for providing OBC quota in local bodies

In many local bodies, the election commission has already completed the process of reserving seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities

Mumbai Following Wednesday’s Supreme Court verdict granting 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in local body elections in Maharashtra, the state election commission has begun preparing for elections in more than 2500 local bodies in the state.

SEC to start preparations for providing OBC quota in local bodies

“The Supreme Court has approved the Banthia commission’s report and allowed OBC reservation to be reinstated. All the local bodies that are going for polls will benefit from today’s verdict. Only those local bodies will not be covered under the decision where polling process is already underway,” said Kiran Kurundkar, secretary, state election commission.

“There is a process to allocate the reservation quota. A detailed program will be given to the respective commissioners and collectors after which a public notice will be issued and lots will be drawn for the seats that are going to be reserved for the OBCs. Of them, 50% seats will also be reserved for women,” Kurundkar explained.

The Banthia commission has recommended up to 27% reservation for the OBCs in local bodies but all local bodies will not get straight 27% reservation. The commission has prescribed different percentages of reservation for each and every local body which is based on the population of the community.

“In some local bodies, the commission has recommended no reservation for OBCs while in still others it has recommended one or two seats. It all depends upon the population as there are some districts where the SC, ST population is much higher. The state will not be able to give reservation to the OBCs in the local bodies where SC, STs already have the 50% reservation quota mandated by the Supreme Court,” said the officer.

In many local bodies, the election commission has already completed the process of reserving seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities. “The rest of the seats will have to be taken into account for drawing the lots for OBC quota,” Kurundkar pointed out.

Twenty three of 27 municipal corporations including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Vasai-Virar, Ulhasnagar, 27 of 36 district councils, around 300 of the 362 nagar panchayats, municipal councils and more than 290 panchayat samitis are scheduled to go to polls later this year.