OBC Commission Submits 350-Page Report To Up CM; New Reservation List To Be Released In April For Local Body Elections

On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh OBC commission submitted a 350-page report to CM Yogi Adityanath regarding the reservation in civic body elections. For further elections, the central government will release a new list in April. The report will be reviewed in the cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday, and a new reservation list will be issued based on the survey report. The new reservation list will determine the election of members and presidents in Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Nagar Panchayats.

Elections may be organised in April

The civic elections’ dates are expected to be announced in April after the cabinet meeting, and before that, the code of conduct may come into force. The UP government constituted the OBC commission for six months on the High Court’s orders on December 28 to decide on reservations for the municipal elections.

Petitions filed against reservations 

The Municipal elections in UP were to be held in January, and the Urban Development Department released the final reservation list. However, 65 petitions against the reservation list reached the High Court. 

High Court will take decision on OBC reservation 

After hearing all the petitions, the High Court delivered its verdict on December 27, stating that civic elections should be conducted without OBC reservation. The decision meant that all the seats became unreserved, allowing any caste candidate to contest.

The court also ordered the government to conduct the elections soon and declared that no reservation would be decided without a triple test. The UP government’s earlier reservation list was based on a rapid test, which the court found inadequate. 

Cabinet meeting will be scheduled to discuss on the matter 

The High Court’s decision was a setback for the UP government, which had to constitute the OBC commission to decide on reservations for the civic body elections. Submitting the OBC commission’s report and the upcoming cabinet meeting to discuss it is a positive step towards holding civic body elections in Uttar Pradesh. 

The new reservation list based on the report is expected to bring clarity and fairness to the election process. The announcement of the election dates in April could be a major development in the state’s political landscape.