The State BJP on Saturday demanded to defer the October 5 byelections of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti after the Maharashtra State Election Commission refused to adhere to the amendment introduced in the Act limiting reservation to 50% in rural local bodies.
Party leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the State government should immediately approach the Supreme Court to ensure elections are conducted as per the amendments. The State government has been constantly misleading the OBCs and has no intention whatsoever to give political reservation to OBCs,” he said.
“The amendments should have been cleared before the commission announced the poll programme,” he said.
Governor’s approval
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday signed the amended ordinance by the State Cabinet as per which 27% reservation for OBCs will be extended in Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis by maintaining the 50% upper limit of reservation. The move was necessitated after the apex court scrapped political reservation of OBCs in local body polls, citing it was breaching the 50% limit.
The State Election Commission has called for byelections for seats which fell vacant in Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti after the court verdict. Earlier, all parties had agreed against conducting polls until reservation is restored. However, the Supreme Court directed that the poll commission is the final authority to decide on the same after which bypolls were announced.
