OBC quota: Govt shares MSCBC’s interim report with State Election Commission

Sources in the government said that the state had taken the decision on Sunday to share the interim report with the SEC after receiving it from MSCBC.

OBC quota, MSCBC, Maharashtra government, Uddhav Thackeray, Mumbai news, Indian express

The MSCBC’s meeting, which commenced on Friday but was adjourned, was resumed on Saturday to finalise and approve the interim report.

int(2)

A day after receiving the interim report from the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC), the Maharashtra government on Tuesday shared it with the State Election Commission (SEC) and requested it to provide OBC reservation in the upcoming elections to local bodies in the state. Sources said the SEC has requested the government to get an order on the same from the Supreme Court, which had ruled that there will be no OBC seats without empirical data in the upcoming local body polls in Maharashtra.

Sources in the government said that the state had taken the decision on Sunday to share the interim report with the SEC after receiving it from MSCBC. “The interim report has been sent to the SEC. The state government has conveyed to the SEC that it has fulfilled the order of the apex court and urged the SEC to take further appropriate action on providing reservation to OBCs. We feel that SEC should give OBC reservations in the upcoming local body elections,” said Chhagan Bhubal, senior NCP minister.

Bhujbal said the MSCBC in the interim report has endorsed that “the percentage of OBC in Maharashtra may be much more than 38 per cent”. “With this, the 27 per cent reservation can be given to OBCs,” he added.

Story continues below this ad

Sources from the SEC said it has received the letter along with the MSCBC’s interim report. “The SEC then held a meeting with the Chief Secretary and officials from the Urban Development and Rural Development Department to discuss the further course of action,” said an official requesting anonymity.

Another official said the SEC has asked the government to get an order on the interim report from the Supreme Court. “If the Supreme Court gives an order, then we can immediately restore the OBC quota in local bodies,” added the official.

Sources from the government said the hearing on the OBC quota in the apex court could not take place on Tuesday as the matter didn’t come on board. “We hope that the matter will come on board tomorrow and Supreme Court will hear the matter,” said an official.

In January, the Supreme Court had asked the government to submit data on OBCs to the MSCBC to examine its correctness and make recommendations on their representation in elections for the local bodies. The government then handed over the data to the MSCBC and requested it to submit an interim report at the earliest.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram