Maharashtra: Decrease in OBC quota in Zilla Parishad, panchayat rankles Oppn

According to the provisions of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Act, 1961 and the Bombay Village Panchayat Act, 1958, there are set reservations for excluded groups.

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Under the previous arrangement, many a times, the total reservation had crossed the 50 per cent limit mark.

THE STATE government’s recent move to reduce the quota for OBCs in bodies like the zilla parishad and the panchayat has resulted in protests from the Opposition.

According to the provisions of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Act, 1961 and the Bombay Village Panchayat Act, 1958, there are set reservations for excluded groups. Offices of the sarpanch, chairperson of the panchayat samiti and the president of the zilla parishad are reserved for the scheduled castes and tribes based on the proportion of their population while there is a flat 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs.

Under the previous arrangement, many a times, the total reservation had crossed the 50 per cent limit mark. Subsequently, a petition was moved in the Bombay High Court in 2018 by a member of the Washim Zilla Parishad, alleging that the law was being violated in these elections as the quota was crossing the 50 per cent limit.

The matter had subsequently moved to the courts and the state, in order to redress the issue, had passed an ordinance on Wednesday that stated that henceforth, OBCs would get reservation in the panchayat samitis and zilla parishads based on their population share in the region.

Opposition parties have, however, opposed the move. “There is no caste-based census data available with the government. Still, it is perplexing how the government has passed this ordinance. This order is an attack on the rights of the OBCs,” said Vijay Waddetiwar, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.

Prominent OBC leaders like NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal has also opposed the move.

First uploaded on: 03-08-2019 at 02:42 IST

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