VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Mar 14: The proposed Panchayat elections in Jharkhand will be held without making provisions of the reservation to OBC as mandated by the Supreme Court in the judgment given in Rahul Ramesh vs Maharashtra government case (SLP 19756 /2021) in January.
The court had directed the government of all states to conduct triple tests and collect empirical data of OBC to decide the reservation to OBC in panchayat polls. The Supreme Court had given two months’ time to the government to form committees to complete the process.
The chief minister said that his government wanted to conduct panchayat elections in Jharkhand as early as possible since the state has been facing financial loss. He said that triple test and collection of empirical data are the time taking processes. It involves a household survey.
He said that due to delay in elections the centre has stopped the release of funds to Jharkhand under several heads. He said that the centre so far has stopped funds to the tune of Rs 800 Crore. He said that the government would conduct a triple test at the later stage and reservation will be fixed. But it is immediately not possible to decide reservation in the election proposed this year.
“The Supreme Court has not said that panchayat elections can’t be held without a triple test. Had it been the case, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka would not have conducted panchayat elections,” CM Hemant Soren said.
The CM further said in response to a question raised by Lambodar Mahto of the Ajsu Party who demanded the government to conduct the triple test and early panchayat poll.
He accused the opposition of playing a double game. “On one hand you are pressing for a triple test for OBC reservation and on the other, you are instigating mukhiyas. In the assembly, there are several MLAs who belong to the OBC category and they were elected despite there being no reservation. It is but natural that in the OBC dominated area an OBC candidate will be elected,” Hemant Soren said.
The panchayat polls in Jharkhand were due by the end of December 2020. But due to pandemics, twice the tenure of mukhiyas was extended for one year. In the previous cabinet, the government announced plans to hold panchayat polls. But the schedule has not been announced. Notably, Congress, which is an alliance partner in the government, has also demanded OBC reservation in the panchayat poll.
