'Big relief': Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde after Supreme Court allows conduct of local polls with OBC quota

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said it's a big relief for the OBC people in the state after the Supreme Court today gave nod to hold elections to local governing bodies with OBC quota.

Earlier, the apex court had set aside the quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local elections in Maharashtra for lack of empirical data about their populations.

Eknath Shinde, hours after the apex court's nod said, "We had promised to give justice to the OBC people as the matter was on stay for several years. We stood on our words."

"Supreme Court has accepted our demand for an OBC reservation which was on stay for several years. It is a big relief for the OBC people. We had promised to give justice to the OBC people. We stood on our words," Eknath Shinde was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

On the other hand, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, the Maharashtra government has requested the SEC not to announce fresh dates for elections immediately as many areas are severely affected by heavy rains and the situation was needed to be handled on priority.

Fadnavis, who became deputy CM after his party supported rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde for the chief minister's post last month, accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of wasting time "pointing fingers at the Union government" over the issue.

"When I said that the backward class commission's report can be finalised (and submitted to the court), I was ridiculed. But our government has given answer to the critics through our action," Fadnavis said.

Earlier, the SEC had scheduled elections to 92 municipal councils and four nagar panchayats on August 18, but they were postponed in view of the hearing in the SC on Wednesday.