OBC quota in local bodies: Unusual alliance in the making
There is an unusual alliance happening between the BJPled government in Madhya Pradesh and Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra on the politically sensitive issue of postponement of urban and local body elections till the OBC reservation is restored. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will speak to his counterpart Shivraj Chauhan with a suggestion to file a joint review petition against the Supreme Court rulings, asking the State Election Commissions (SECs) of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to notify the elections in two weeks.
Both the CMs might also seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention with a plea to issue an ordinance for the restoration of the OBC quota in urban and local bodies. This was the outcome of the lengthy discussion that took place at the state cabinet meeting chaired by Thackeray on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday filed a special application in the apex court with a plea to permit it to complete the stages of ward formation, reservation for SC, ST and women and division of voter lists for 2,486 local bodies by end of July. Further, SEC has pleaded that it should be allowed to issue an election schedule in September, as conducting elections in July and August will not be possible as the administrative machinery will be busy with flood control, mitigation and disaster management works.
Further, the SEC has pleaded that it be allowed to hold elections to the urban local bodies in October and for rural local bodies in November.
A senior MVA Minister told the Free Press Journal, “Veteran NCP minister and Samata Parishad founder Chhagan Bhujbal suggested that it is an opportunity for Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to join hands together to save the Constitutional right of the OBC which is a political quota in urban and local bodies.”
Another minister opined that SEC, which has commenced the pre-poll process, should complete it instead of filing an application in the apex court. “Several ministers feared that the SC may direct the Maharashtra SEC to announce and conduct a poll schedule for urban and local bodies based on the electoral list of 2017. However, a few ministers claimed that the apex court cannot do it unless and until the SEC revises the voters’ list,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Bhujbal led Samata Parishad is weighing an option of independently filing a review petition seeking stay on the Supreme Court order of May 4.