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Urban polls: J’khand cabinet gives nod to survey for OBC quota
The Supreme Court’s “triple test” order, passed on March 4, 2021, outlines conditions for finalisation of reservations for OBCs, one of which is to form a dedicated commission to conduct a survey.
The Hemant Soren cabinet on Monday approved setting up a dedicated commission to conduct a survey for providing reservations to other backward classes (OBCs) in polls for urban local bodies (ULBs) in Jharkhand, in line with the Supreme Court’s “triple test” directive, officials said on Monday.
“The cabinet approved the proposal of the urban development department to notify a dedicated commission for conducting survey for granting reservations to backward classes in elections for urban local bodies,” cabinet secretary Vandana Dadel told reporters after the cabinet meet chaired by the chief minister.
Elections for 34 local bodies are pending in the state. While term of 14 ULBs ended in May 2020 and elections got delayed due to Covid restrictions, term of other 20 local bodies ended on April 27 this year.
The state government had earlier decided to hold the elections for all 34 ULBs without OBC reservation. In December last year, the state government had sent the proposal to conduct polls to the Governor, who had given his assent. However, before the state election commission could notify dates, the government has decided to conduct the survey for OBC reservations.
A senior urban development department official said a notification would soon be issued for the purpose. “Though we can’t give a time frame for completion of the survey, we would like the commission to complete the task at the earliest as elections are due in all local bodies,” said the official, asking not to be named.
The Supreme Court’s “triple test” order, passed on March 4, 2021, outlines conditions for finalisation of reservations for OBCs.
It includes setting up a dedicated commission to conduct “rigorous empirical survey into the nature and implications of the backwardness in local bodies; to specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies and to ensure reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs taken together does not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats.”
