Jharkhand: Cabinet approves survey for OBC quota

RANCHI, Jharkhand: Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren, and his cabinet approved setting up a commission to conduct a survey for providing reservations to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in polls for urban local bodies in the state, in line with the Supreme Court’s ‘triple test’ directive.

Vandana Dadel, Cabinet Secretary told the reporters, “The cabinet approved the proposal of the urban development department to notify a dedicated commission for surveying granting reservations to backward classes in elections for urban local bodies.”

34 civic bodies are yet to conduct elections which were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. While the term of 14 civic bodies ended in May 2020, the term of the other 20 local bodies ended on April 27 this year.

The state government had earlier decided to hold elections for all 34 local bodies without OBC reservation. In December last year, the state government sent the proposal to conduct polls to the Governor, who had given his assent. However, before the state election commission could notify dates, the government decided to survey OBC reservations.

A senior urban development department official said, “Though we can’t give a time frame for completion of the survey, we would like the commission to complete the task at the earliest as elections are due in all local bodies.”

The Supreme Court’s ‘triple test’ order, passed on March 4, 2021, outlines conditions for the finalisation of reservations for OBCs.

It includes setting up a dedicated commission to conduct a “Rigorous empirical survey into the nature and implications of the backwardness in local bodies; to specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies and to ensure reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs taken together does not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats,” the official further added.