Reservation In Local Body Elections Through Rotation Method

Hyderabad, Nov 21 (Maxim News): The crucial reservation process in the Gram Panchayat elections has been clarified.  The dedicated commission submitted a comprehensive report to the government finalising the reservation for BC, SC and ST categories with a limit of 50 percent.  Based on this report, the government will prepare a list of reservations for sarpanchs and ward members.

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The government will send this report to the collectors of all the districts in the state by Saturday.  As soon as the reservation list reaches the districts, the collectors will take action on a war footing.  The district-level machinery will have to complete the review within two days and officially release the reservation gazette. After that, there will be complete clarity on which group got the post of Sarpanch in which village and who has been allotted the ward member seats.  The collectors will prepare this list in a strict mannner so that there is reservation within 50 percent asd per the judgments of the Supreme Court and the High Court.  The dedicated commission has also submitted a report to that effect.  The State Election Commission is ready to release the election schedule as soon as the gazette notification on reservations is issued.  Arrangements are being made to hold the Panchayat elections on the 25th or 26th of this month.

Th8is time, the government is adopting a transparent policy in allocating reservations in the Panchayat elections.  Unlike in the past, the rotation method is being implemented so that the reservations change every five years.  Due to this, there is no possibility of people from the same community or the same family continuing in positions for years.  Keeping in mind social justice and with the aim of providing political opportunities to all communities, the government has decided to implement this policy strictly.  the seats allotted to each social community in the last elections were examined and, in contrast, the new reservations were finalized according to the current population ratio.

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SC and ST reservations will be finalized as per th3e 2011 census.  Taking the district or mandal as a unit, a list of villages with the highest percentage of SC and ST population will be prepared.  The villages at the top of the list will be allotted to the respective communities.  For example, if there are 20 panchayats in a mandal and 4 seats are to be allotted there as per the percentage of ST population, the first 4 villages with the highest tribal population in that mandal will be reserved for STs.  The same method will be followed in the case of SCs.

In agency areas (where the 1/70 law is in force), all Sarpanch posts will be reserved 100 percent for tribals.  Where the SC and ST population is high and there is no possibility of changing the reservation, there is a chance that the old reservation will continue.  In other places, seats will be changed from general to reserved and from reserved to general.  In the case of BC reservations, it will be finalized based on the report given by the Dedicated Commission.  There will be considered BCs.

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Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered that the total reservations (SC, ST, BC) should not exceed 50 percent.  With this, after giving seats to SC and ST according to population, seats will be adjusted for BCs only in the remaining quota.  Usually, BCs get up to 23 percent.  Now 50 percent of the total seats will be reserved for women.  General, SC, ST, BC in this way, half the seats in each category will be allocated to women, and wards and villages will be reserved through lottery.  (Maxim News)

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