OBCs incorporated in Rules for reservations
Jammu, Apr 26: The Government has formally designated the State Election Commission (SEC) as the Authority for conduct of elections to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) instead of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and accorded reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) along with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Three separate orders to this effect have been issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD).
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Authority for holding elections to Municipal Corporations, Councils and Committees will be the SEC instead of the CEO, the rules framed by the H&UDD said.
BR Sharma, former Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, is the current SEC.
The UT Government has already accorded the authority for holding elections to ULBs to SEC. Besides ULBs, the responsibility of holding elections to the Panchayats now is also vested with the SEC.
The H&UDD has amended rules as per amendments carried out in the Parliament and inserted the words Other Backward Classes who will have reservation in the Wards of Corporations, Councils and Committees along with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Official sources told the Excelsior that with framing of rules, the process to give reservation to OBCs in the Municipalities has been completed. The OBCs have already been given reservation in the Panchayats.
The Government has given eight percent reservation to OBCs in educational institutions and Government jobs. However, percentage for reservation to OBCs in Panchayats and Municipalities has to be decided by the Commission based on their population.
Women have 33 percent reservation in Municipalities and Panchayats while SCs and STs have reservation based on their population.
Reservation and rotation of the Wards will be taken up after delimitation.
Reservation to OBCs, the sources said, will be applicable in all Rural Bodies including the District Development Councils (DDCs), Block Development Councils (BDCs) and Panchayats (both Sarpanch and Panch segments) besides Municipal Corporations, Councils and Committees.
“A decision on quantum of reservation to the OBCs in Rural and Urban Local Bodies will, however, be taken based on population as well,” the officials said, adding that a detailed notification will be issued in this regard by the Government at the time of delimitation followed by fresh reservation of Wards.
Elections to Panchayats and Municipalities were due in October-November last year but were deferred due to grant of reservation to OBCs. Besides, there were also discrepancies in number of voters in certain Wards of Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations which prompted the Housing and Urban Development Department to undertake delimitation exercise. As per the officials, the delimitation exercise for Sarpanch and Panch segments in the Panchayats is expected to be taken after the Lok Sabha elections.
“Following delimitation, reservation of Wards will also be taken up,” they said.
Besides Panchayats, the elections to Block Development Councils have also become due as their term was co-terminus with the Panchayats. The District Development Councils, however, have their term till January 2026. First-ever elections to the DDCs were held in November-December 2020 and the DDCs were formally constituted in January 2021.
Nadeem Nadu (ندیم مختار) 