Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the state government will file a review petition against the SC’s decision directing the SEC (state election commission) to conduct elections of 92 municipal councils and 4 Nagar panchayats without OBC quota.
The deputy CM added that it will be unfair for the local bodies if the OBC quota is not made applicable to them as the apex court has approved OBC reservations in the local bodies in Maharashtra. The SC had accepted the suggestions of the Banthia commission providing 27% OBC reservations in the local body elections and directed that election for local bodies in the state be notified in the next two weeks on July 20.
The SC came down heavily on SEC for postponing the polls of 92 municipal councils and 4 nagar panchayats. The SEC officials replied that the decision was taken after the apex court said they wouldn’t interfere in the polls.
“The state government had moved SC saying that the OBC reservation granted by them should be applied to the 92 municipal councils (and four nagar panchayats) as well but the apex court refused to make the changes. We will again file a review petition pleading the same once again as the OBC reservation is applicable in all the other local bodies of the state,” Fadnavis said.
If not allowed then, 92 of the 400 civic bodies will be left without the OBC quota, he pointed out.
“Our line of argument will be that if OBC reservation is made applicable to 29,000 gram panchayats (village council), 34 zilla parishad (district council) and over 300 municipal councils then why 92 municipal councils (and four nagar panchayats) are deprived of it,” the deputy chief minister said.
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