Maharashtra's Quota Crisis: Why 50% Reservation Limit Hangs Over Local Polls

However, the elections to the 29 municipal corporations, including BMC, are expected to be conducted as per the original plan of the SEC, which will be announced soon.

Further, in the wake of Friday's SC order, the elections to the 246 nagar parishads and 42 nagar panchayats will be held on December 2 and counting on December 3.

However, in 40 nagar parishads and 17 nagar panchayats where the 50 per cent reservation limit has been exceeded, which will be subject to the outcome of the result of the writ petitions, the Supreme Court stated.

In Maharashtra, out of 34 Zilla Parishads, there are administrators in 32 ZPs except for Bhandara and Gondia, whose term will expire in May 2027. In a total of 351 Panchayat Samitis, 336 have administrators where elections will be held.

According to sources in the state election commission, the programme for local civic bodies, which have been cleared by the apex court, will be announced by mid-December.

"We are studying the court order, and based on that, a decision will be made about 17 ZPs which have crossed the 50 per cent quota limit."

Sources added that in case of adjusting the reservation to a 50 per cent limit, the OBC reservation will have to be reorganised, which includes revising the present OBC ward reservation. However, no final decision has been taken yet.

The 17 ZPs include Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Hingoli, Nanded, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Wardha and Gadchiroli.

There are a total of 88 Panchayat Samirs of the 336 PS where the 50 per cent reservation limit is crossed. The fate of elections in these local bodies has yet to be decided.

In the case of 29 Municipal Corporations, only Nagpur and Chandrapur have exceeded the 50 per cent quota limit with 54.30 per cent and 53.03 per cent reservation respectively. However, elections will be held there as per the SC order.

Meanwhile, the opposition slammed the BJP-led MahaYuti government, terming it anti-OBC.

"The SC order clearly says that the 50 per cent reservation limit should not be crossed, which means the current OBC reservation will have to be curtailed at many places. It exposes the BJP's double standards on OBC reservation," claimed Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in his reaction, said, "We will announce our official position only after studying the exact verdict of the Supreme Court. However, we fully respect the court's decision."

- IANS