In a significant development, the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday unanimously passed a resolution postponing elections to the local bodies in the state in the absence of 27 per cent political reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
With the Treasury and Opposition benches unanimous on the issue, the resolution sailed through.
The issue of OBCs political reservation is a major issue for both the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents - Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress besides the opposition BJP.
In the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the resolution was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar which was seconded by Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis.
Later, Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif tabled the resolution in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar sought the opinion of the Upper House over the resolution. The Council members unanimously supported the resolution following which it was passed.
The Supreme Court apex had maintained the reservation in favour of OBCs in local bodies in Maharashtra cannot exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs taken together.
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Published 27 December 2021, 13:20 IST