Karnataka panel favours 33% OBC quota in local bodies

The Justice K Bhaktavatsala Commission has recommended a one-third or 33 per cent reservation for other backward classes (OBC) in local body elections, while asking the government to consider widening the quota bracket to make it more effective going forward.

The Commission, which was constituted to determine political backwardness of OBCs as required by the Supreme Court, gave its report to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday, fulfilling a key requirement enabling the government to hold elections to the BBMP, zilla and taluk panchayats.

The government is expected to submit the report to the top court on Friday.

The Commission noted that 44.4 per cent of Karnataka's population were OBCs, including minorities.

Relying on empirical data from local body elections of 1996, 2001, 2010 and 2015, the Commission stated: "One can safely reach the conclusion that large number of castes and communities who come under the Category A and B of OBCs are still socially and politically backward. Therefore, providing reservation of 1/3rd (33 per cent) of total seats, in favour of OBCs (including minorities) in the urban and local body elections is justifiable."

The Commission also urged the government to re-classify the OBCs.

According to the Commission, non-Muslim minorities are not able to avail the benefit of political reservation in local body elections. "For the purpose of reservation of seats in education and employment, there is only one community under the Category-II (B) namely Muslim community...empirical data reveals that the Muslim community has been given representation in the local body elections held in the year 1996, 2001, 2010 and 2015," it said.

"We are of the opinion that before the next local body elections in the year 2027 or 2028, the state government may review about the re-classification of Backward Classes Category - A and B, into two more categories...for the purpose of effective reservation in favour of OBCs including minorities," the report said.

While recommending 33 per cent reservation for OBCs, the Commission reminded the government to ensure that the aggregate of quotas including the SC and ST should not exceed 50 per cent of total seats.

Also, the Commission recommended the government to consider providing OBC reservation to the offices of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor in Bengaluru.

Mayor term

The Commission pointed out that the term of the Bengaluru mayor and deputy mayor is 30 months as per the BBMP Act, whereas it is 12 months under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC) Act. It asked the government to amend the KMC law to make it a 30-month term.