Recommendations to clear decks for LBs’ polls
*Exercise to reserve Wards to be undertaken
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 15: The Government today extended the tenure of Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission till February 28 which has been constituted to determine percentage of reservations to be given to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the elections to Panchayats, Municipalities, Block Development Council (BDCs) and District Development Councils (DDCs).
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“The extension has been granted with effect from December 31, 2024 when extended term of the Commission had expired. The Panel has been given deadline of February 28 to submit its report,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Though the Commission’s term expired on December 31 last year, it continued its work. Now following extension, it will submit its report to the Government by or before February 18.
The Panel is headed by Justice (Retired) Janak Raj Kotwal, a retired Judge of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, RK Bhagat, a retired IAS officer and Dr Mohinder Singh Badwal, former Dean SKUAST Jammu.
Justice Kotwal told the Excelsior today that the Commission will submit its report by the extended deadline.
“We are on the job and we will give our recommendations to the Government within the timeline,” he said.
The Commission is expected to recommend reservations to OBC in the local bodies in proportionate to their population and that in no case the reservations to SCs, STs, OBCs and women should cross 50 percent which means half of the seats in Panchayats, Municipalities, BDCs and DDCs will remain open for general category candidates.
In case, percentage quota reaches 50 pc in a local body with women, SCs and STs; the OBCs will not get reservation in that body as SCs and STs have been given reservations by Constitutional provision and OBCs by statutory provision.
The OBC Commission was set up on June 11 last year by the UT Government to determine percentage for the OBCs in Panchayats and Municipalities while the Chairman and Members were nominated on July 31.
Report of the Commission will clear decks for conduct of elections to Panchayats and Municipalities followed by the BDCs as the DDCs still have nearly 11 months tenure left. There are 20 DDCs in Jammu and Kashmir.
There has been 33 percent reservation to women in all local bodies which includes SC and ST Women. SCs and STs have been given reservation proportionate to their population. As per the sources, the Commission is expected to recommend reservation criteria for OBCs at par with SCs and STs i.e. in proportionate to their population.
In Government jobs and educational institutions, the Government has given eight percent reservation to the OBCs.
Once the Commission submits its report, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department will undertake an exercise to reserve the Wards for women, SCs, STs and OBCs in Panchayats followed by delimitation, if required.
Because of the reservations to OBCs for the first time in these bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, elections to Panchayats and Municipalities, which were due to be held in October-November, 2023 have been delayed.
The Municipalities, Panchayats and BDCs are now without elected members for more than one year. While term of the Municipalities ended in October-November 2023, the Panchayats completed their tenure on January 9 last year. Since term of the BDCs was co-terminus with the Panchayats, they too ceased to exist when five-year tenure of the Panchayats ended.
However, the District Development Councils whose elections were held for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir in December 2020 have their term till January 2026.
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