Decks Cleared for Smooth Civic Body Elections
TLT Bureau
Lucknow: The Commission constituted for OBC reservation for UP Municipal Corporation Election has submitted its report to the state government. On the basis of the report, OBC reservation will be decided in the civic elections. The commission has handed over its 350-page report on OBC reservation in UP civic elections to CM Yogi Adityanath. They met the CM at his official residence to hand over the report in presence of Urban Development Minister AK Sharma and officials of the Urban Development Department.
This report was presented in the cabinet meeting. A copy of the report will also be submitted to the Supreme Court. On the basis of this report, a decision will be taken on reservation in elections. The way for UP civic elections is now clear. Along with implementing reservation, election dates can also be announced soon.
UP Information Director Shishir Singh speaking to the media has said the chairman and members of the commission have submitted their report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In this report, the commission has made several recommendations for OBC reservation in civic body elections. However, what have been the recommendations have not been disclosed yet.
Who is included in the commission?
The five-member commission was headed by Justice (retd) Ram Avtar Singh. The other four members in this commission are retired IAS officers Mahendra Kumar and Chob Singh Verma, former Additional Legal Advisor Brijesh Kumar Soni and Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma. The members of the OBC commission were appointed after getting approval from the Governor.
Why the commission had to be formed?
Significantly, this commission was formed at the end of the year 2022, when the Allahabad High Court rejected the draft notification of the UP government. Apart from this, it was ordered to conduct body elections without giving reservation to OBCs. Then CM Yogi Adityanath had said that local body elections will not be held without OBC reservation. A commission will be constituted for OBC reservation.
While the tenure of the commission was six months, it compiled its report after touring all the 75 districts of the state in less than three months, an official said.
Anomalies were found in reservation of local bodies notified on December 5, 2022. Anomalies have been found also in the rotation process adopted for deciding reservations. Reportedly there are some local bodies that have not been reserved for OBCs for more than 30 years. Some constituencies have been reserved for OBCs in the past three elections. These anomalies have been mentioned in the report. Reports underline reservation anomalies in the notification of December 5 and in the past elections were deliberate and intentional.
It is to be noted on January 4 the Supreme Court stayed the Allahabad High Court’s direction to the Uttar Pradesh Election Commission to go ahead with the urban local body elections without giving reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Hearing the state’s appeal against the December 27 High Court order, the top court said holding elections without giving reservation to OBCs “will result in violation of the constitutional and statutory requirements of reservation for the OBCs”.
The bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha accepted the government’s contention that efforts will be made to complete the necessary exercise to meet the “triple test”, completes its task in three months.
The state government will figure out proportional reservation for backward classes per each urban local body before the next urban local body polls.
Sources said that the state government wants to conduct the local body elections in April or May. During the field visit, the five-member panel met individuals, officials, sitting representatives, contestants as well as political parties.
