Madhya Pradesh: Backward Classes Commission recommends 35% quota for OBCs in panchayat, urban bodies' elections.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Backward Classes Commission has recommended 35% reservation for OBCs in panchayat polls and urban bodies' elections in its report to the government.

The commission on Thursday submitted its report to the state government, said UAD minister Bhupendra Singh and chairman Gaurishankar Bisen informed it.

Sharing the details of the report, the minister said that the report is only about Panchayat and urban body elections, and has nothing to do with quota in jobs and recruitment in educational institutions. The new report of the commission will be placed before the Supreme Court on May 6.

As per report, 48 per cent of the voters in the state are from backward classes. If SC and ST voters are excluded from the total electorate, then 79% voters belong to the OBC category, read the report. Thus taking into account these facts, the commission has recommended 35% reservation for OBCs in the panchayat polls.

Last year, the Supreme Court had instructed that without OBC reservation, panchayat and urban body elections could be held in Madhya Pradesh. In this case, the Supreme Court, while making a strong remark, had asked the state government to submit the report of the triple test the government had done for OBC. A hearing in this regard was held in the Supreme Court on Thursday.