Local our bodies’ polls needs to be postponed until OBC quota restored, says Chhagan Bhujbal

A day after the state election fee introduced dates for by-elections in native our bodies in 5 districts, Cabinet minister and NCP chief Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday mentioned the polls in Maharashtra needs to be postponed until OBC reservation is restored.
“Any haste to conduct elections would be an injustice to the OBC community,” Bhujbal mentioned.
The state ballot panel on Tuesday introduced by-polls for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti seats for Dhule, Nandurbar, Washim, Akola and Nagpur. The elections had been necessitated within the wake of the Supreme Court order quashing OBC (Other Backward Class) reservation in native our bodies following which the seats had been transformed into basic class seats. The by-polls will happen on July 19 adopted by relying on July 20.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, OBC chief Bhujbal mentioned, “We urge election commission to postpone the by-elections.”

Accusing the Centre of being reluctant in sharing the empirical information on OBCs, Bhujbal mentioned, “The restoration of the quota is possible only with the Centre’s intervention.”
The Opposition’s cost that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) authorities allowed the ordinance granting reservation to the OBCs within the state to lapse, or didn’t furnish empirical information as really useful by Apex courtroom is deceptive, Bhujbal mentioned.

On March 4, the SC learn down Section 12(2)(c) of The Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961 and said that it might be invoked solely upon complying with the triple situations earlier than notifying the seats reserved for OBC class. One of the situations required establishing of a fee to “conduct contemporaneous rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness qua local bodies, within the State” to specify the proportion of reservation required.
Bhujbal mentioned that through the earlier authorities, “the matter went to and fro from one department to another and even (former Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis government could not get the empirical data on OBCs.”
He mentioned: “The MVA government came to power 15 months ago and has been grappling with Covid-19 pandemic. To expect the state government to carry out fresh census to ascertain OBC population is ridiculous. How can we undertake a door-to-door census amid Covid?”
Therefore, he mentioned, “The only solution is Centre’s help. If the Centre can provide data to the Supreme Court, it can help to take the issue forward. We will also approach the court. The court can direct the Centre to make the data available to the state.”

Earlier, Fadnavis slammed the MVA for its “flip flop” on the problem.
“Two days ago, Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar announced they will not allow elections till the OBC issue is resolved. A day later, NCP’s Hassan Mushriff said no polls till 70 per cent population vaccinated. Yet, the state election commission has announced by-poll dates. This has badly exposed the lack of coordination among the three parties’ (Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) coalition,” mentioned the Opposition chief.