Bhubaneswar, December 28: The Odisha unit of Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to postpone the Panchayat polls in State for a period of six months and file a review petition in the Supreme Court to provide reservation to OBC people in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs.)
SP State unit president Rabi Behera in a letter to the Chief Minister said, “Government of India has submitted before the Supreme Court. Recall your order & defer Panchayatiraj Election- for four months. Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra have already postponed Panchayat Election and Municipality Election.”
“Keeping this in view, we request you to defer the Panchayat Poll by 6 months. Before that, begin the caste Census of Other Back-ward Classes in Odisha and ensure 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in education, employment & Panchayat Election,” said Behera.
“The BJD on its 25th Foundation Day observed last Sunday promised to provide 40 per cent party tickets to OBCs in the Panchayat Polls and to follow the Central Government on OBC reservation,” added Behera.
Now, the Centre has given its submission in the Supreme Court to defer the Panchayat Poll or to Recall its 17th December order on OBCs Reservation.
“Hence keeping it in view we request you to postpone the Panchayat Election by 6 months and go for caste Census through State OBC Commission before the Election and to ensure 27 per cent OBC Reservation in education, employment and Panchayat Election,” Behera wrote.
Earlier, opposition BJP had demanded the State Government to file SLP before the Supreme Court on the OBC reservation issue.
Citing two recent Supreme Court (SC) orders issued on December 6 and 17, the Orissa High Court on December 22 said, “There can be no reservation yet provided for BCCs (backward class citizens) in the post of sarpanches in Odisha in the elections to be held. It is inevitable, therefore, for the government of Odisha to re-work the draft notification for holding of elections to the panchayats, panchayat samitis and Zilla Parishads in 2022.”
The SC had stayed other backward class (OBC) reservations in local bodies elections in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh stating that “triple test” have to be followed for OBC quota – set up a dedicated commission to conduct rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness, specify proportion of reservation required to be provisioned local body-wise in light of recommendations of the commission and ensure reservation shall not exceed aggregate of 50% of the total seats reserved in favour of SCs/STs/OBCs taken together.
