Uttarakhand Increases OBC Reservations for Municipal Elections

The Dhami Cabinet has approved significant amendments to the Act and rules governing Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in local bodies across Uttarakhand. The proposed changes will allow for varying reservation percentages, with some areas seeing OBC reservations exceed the current 14%, while others may have lower percentages. The Cabinet has decided to table the Uttarakhand (Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1959 Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Uttarakhand (Uttar Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1916 Amendment) Bill 2024 in the upcoming assembly session. Once these bills are passed, OBC reservations will be implemented in all urban local bodies based on recommendations from a dedicated single-member commission. The Urban Development Department will compile reports for district magistrates, who will then solicit public objections before finalizing the reservation report for government approval. Following this process, the State Election Commission will commence the election procedures. The amendments propose an increase in reserved seats for various positions, including Mayors, Deputy Mayors, and Councillors. For instance, the reservation for the Mayor's seat in municipal corporations could rise from 14% to 18.05%, while municipalities may see increases up to 28.10%. However, the total reserved seats across all categories will not surpass 50% of the total seats available. Specific recommendations for OBC reservations vary by locality, with Dehradun set for 11.92% and Rishikesh at 9.06%. In contrast, some municipalities like Mangalore in Haridwar could see reservations as high as 67.73%. The implementation of these reservations will adhere to the stipulation that the combined reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs do not exceed 50%.