The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday released a time schedule for drawing a lottery for reservation of seats in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and also in 13 other municipal corporations in the state. As per the notification, the lottery will be drawn for SC, ST and general category seats for women and not for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) pending the case in the Supreme Court.
SEC’s move came when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was locked in a court battle over the restoration of 27% political reservation to OBCs in the civic and local bodies. The Supreme Court had recently asked the SEC to continue the pre-poll process when the case with regard to the OBC quota is pending the order.
As per SEC notification, BMC will issue a notice in local newspapers, on websites and on notice boards on May 27 for drawing a lottery for reservation of seats for scheduled caste (woman), scheduled tribe (woman) and general category (woman). The lottery for these reserved and general seats will be drawn on May 31. Thereafter, a draft on ward wise reservations will be published on June 1 while BMC will invite suggestions and objections on fixing ward wise reservations from June 1 to 6.
Finally, BMC will publish in the government gazette on June 13 the final ward wise reservation along with suggestions and objections which were considered during the process.
SEC has proposed a similar time schedule for 13 other municipal corporations including Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Amravati, Akola and Nagpur.
SEC’s move also comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling allowing Madhya Pradesh to hold local body elections with the OBC reservation. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government has welcomed the apex court’s order saying that it will be applicable to Maharashtra as the upcoming civic and local body elections will be held with OBC quota.
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