NCP to field OBC candidates in earlier reserved seats: Nawab Malik

The Nationalist Congress Party has announced that it will field OBC candidates in the earlier reserved seats.

The Nationalist Congress Party has taken a stand identical to what the BJP had taken in relation to fielding OBC candidates in the next local governing bodies in Maharashtra. State minister Nawab Malik, on Wednesday, stated that the government is planning to come up with a law to restore the reservation for OBCs in local governing bodies after the Supreme Court had nullified it earlier this year.

"The NCP has decided to field OBC candidates on the seats earlier reserved for OBCs. The Supreme Court had read down the earlier elections in local governing bodies and several OBC seats are vacated now. Hence, the party has taken a policy decision that it will field OBC candidates only in the elections (to the local governing bodies (in future)," the PTI quotes him as saying.

The Supreme Court, on 4 March, cited the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act 1961 which provided for 27 per cent reservation for people belonging to other backward classes while quashing the state election commission's 2018 and 2020 notifications over reserving seats for the OBCs.

"The Maharashtra state election commission has already informed the apex court that the COVID-19 situation in the state is under control and it can hold polls. In such a situation, if the act is not formed, the NCP has taken this policy decision (to fielding only OBC contestants)," Malik added.

The party meeting was chaired by Sharad Pawar which had the presence of elected and non-elected NCP leaders.

Recently, Devendra Fadnavis, former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition, said, "If the Maharashtra government fails to resolve the issue of OBC quota in the local governing bodies, BJP will field candidates from OBC community only, though those seats look like open seats post the SC decision. We will treat those seats as reserved for OBCs. We will not get deterred by possible loss in elections, but we will field only OBC candidates".