Maharashtra local body bypolls: Uddhav govt to bring ordinance to re-introduce OBC quota – All you need to know

By: FE Online | 

September 16, 2021 10:34 AM

The State Election Commission said that bypolls will be held for 85 wards in Zilla Parishad and 144 seats in panchayat samitis falling under Dhule, Nandurbar, Akola, Washim, Nagpur and Palghar.

Bhujbal said that a decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The Maharashtra government has decided to bring an ordinance to reserve seats for the OBC communities in the upcoming by-elections to a set of rural bodies polls, Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has said. The OBC reservation will be implemented in such a way that it does not cross the Supreme Court-mandated 50 per cent cap on the reservation. Bhujbal said that a decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Here’s what we know so far

RELATED NEWS

•  

  Saki Naka rape case: ‘Statement extremely unfortunate,’ says NCW on Mumbai top cop’s ‘police can’t be everywhere’ remark

•  

  ‘Your presence in Maharashtra will become insignificant’: Sanjay Raut’s rebuttal to Narayan Rane

It may be recalled that the OBCs used to get 27 per cent reservation in electoral wards of municipal bodies and Zilla Parishad (district councils) in Maharashtra. In March this year, the Supreme Court of India had scrapped the OBC quota besides setting aside polls to quota seats in six Zilla Parishads on the ground that the quota limit had crossed the 50 per cent limit.

Since then, the BJP and the Maharashtra government have been attacking each other over the OBC reservation.

On September 13, the State Election Commission had announced bypoll dates for these seats which fall in Dhule, Washim, Akola, Nandurbar, Nagpur and Palghar. The bypolls will be held on October 5.

Maharashtra plans to keep 50% quota limit at bay

Bhujbal said that reservation will be based on the OBC population in the constituency where bypolls are scheduled. The state will bring the ordinance in line with the existing reservation system of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He said that the government, instead of losing the entire quota, has decided to give up a part of the quota and retain the remaining quota. Hence, the quota limit will not cross the set limit of 50 per cent, thus escaping legal scrutiny.

The minister informed that while reservation will come down by 10 to 12 per cent in some districts, the ordinance will protect the electoral quota for almost 90 per cent overall.

Maharashtra Local-body Bypolls Details

The State Election Commission said that bypolls will be held for 85 wards in Zilla Parishad and 144 seats in panchayat samitis falling under Dhule, Nandurbar, Akola, Washim, Nagpur and Palghar.