State notifies laws fixing quota in polls for SC/STs at 50%

BHUBANESWAR: Paving the way for the panchayat elections scheduled to be held early next year, the state law department has notified the Odisha Panchayat Laws (amendment) Act, 2021 that will fix the upper ceiling of reservation of seats for SC, ST and other backward classes (OBCs) at 50% in the ensuing polls.
The state assembly recently passed the bill, which also has a provision to provide up to 27% quota to candidates belonging to the other backward classes, in the rural polls. It has received the assent of governor Ganeshi Lal. According to the new legislation, the quota for the SC and ST candidates will be proportionate to their population in a particular ward, panchayat, block and district.
“After reserving the seats for the SC and ST candidates, the authorities (district collectors/panchayati raj department officials) have been authorised to reserve the remaining percentage of seats for the other backward classes, subject to maximum 27% of seats. So the quota for the OBC candidates will differ from one district to another,” an official said.
Until the last panchayat polls held in 2017, the total percentage of reservation for the SC, ST and backward classes was around 65%. The Orissa high court had on April 18, 2018 asked the state government to ensure that the total reservations should not exceed 50%, which was also later upheld by the Supreme Court. While moving the bill in the state assembly, state panchayati raj department Pratap Jena had said the state government was left with no other option but to amend the relevant provisions.