Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said a “constitutional dilemma” has emerged due to ongoing Supreme Court proceedings on the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota in local bodies, reported news agency PTI.
Bawankule was responding to a question on whether Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections, dates for which have not been announced yet, could be pushed ahead.
“A constitutional dilemma has been created and we need to find a solution to it. I think the hearing is scheduled on November 25. I do not know what decision the State Election Commission will take after the Supreme Court decision. The matter has reached a critical stage,” he said on Sunday, reported PTI.
The apex court is set to hear the case related to quota for OBCs in civic and rural bodies on Tuesday.
“The Supreme Court itself has asked the state to complete all local governing body polls before January 31 next year,” Bawankule pointed out, reported PTI.
Petitioners have argued that in several local governing bodies, reservations cross the 50 per cent ceiling if OBCs are given a 27 per cent quota. This 50 per cent ceiling, upheld in several verdicts, restricts governments from breaching the mark unless exceptional circumstances are shown.
This has placed the state in a constitutional and political dilemma, sources told PTI.
If the government reduces the OBC quota to stay within the 50 per cent cap, it risks a strong political backlash from OBC communities, that are an important electoral force in rural Maharashtra, they added.
Political parties believe that curbing OBC representation will carry electoral costs, the sources told PTI.
The court`s upcoming hearing is expected to clarify whether the ZP polls will proceed as scheduled or will require a fresh timeline, they told PTI.
Sena MLA Nilesh Rane targets Maharashtra BJP chief for alliance breakup in Sindhudurg
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane has blamed Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan for the Mahayuti alliance`s collapse in Sindhudurg ahead of the December 2 municipal council and nagar panchayat elections.
Speaking on Friday during the campaign of the newly formed Shahar Vikas Aghadi in Sindhudurg, Nilesh said the alliance had not broken due to the BJP`s senior leadership but because of Chavan. Incidentally, Rane has had a history of strained ties with Chavan.
“A few days ago, I checked what exactly went wrong. It was understood that the reason for the alliance breaking in Sindhudurg was not the senior leadership, but BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. I do not know why he is angry with Sindhudurg. If in Ratnagiri, seats in Rajapur and Lanja could be adjusted with Shiv Sena, and similar adjustments were possible in Chiplun, then why this anger towards Sindhudurg,” Rane questioned.
“We were ready to give 10 seats in Malvan. In Sawantwadi, (Sena leader) Deepak Kesarkar was ready for a 50-50 formula. All of us had agreed to a 50-50 arrangement. In Kankavli, we were told we would have to contest only one or two seats. More importantly, our photos were removed from the banners. If they had removed only my photo, it was fine, but removing the photos of (Deputy Chief Minister and Sena head) Eknath Shinde hurt us,” he claimed.
