Dehradun: The path for municipal elections in Uttarakhand this October has been cleared. The Dhami Cabinet has approved amendments to the Act and rules concerning changes in OBC (Other Backward Classes) reservations in local bodies.
Under the new provisions, OBCs will now receive representation in all municipal bodies proportionate to their population, similar to SC/ST (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) reservations. This means that in some areas, the reservation percentage for OBCs will exceed 14%, while in others, it might be less.
The Cabinet gave its nod 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 passed, OBC reservations will be implemented in all urban local bodies based on the recommendations of a single-member dedicated commission. The Urban Development Department will send reports to all district magistrates, who will then invite objections before sending the final reservation report to the government. After this, the State Election Commission will initiate the election process.
Changes in reservation dynamics
Under the recommendations of the single-member dedicated commission, there will be an increase in reserved seats for positions ranging from Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Chairpersons, and Municipal Heads to Councillors, and Ward Members in all bodies.
For example, in municipal corporations, the reservation for the Mayor’s seat could increase from 14% to 18.05%, in municipalities from 14% to 28.10%, and in town panchayats from 14% to 38.97%. However, the total number of reserved seats will not exceed 50% of the total seats.
The OBC reservation in local bodies will increase from the current 14%. For instance, in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar, the OBC reservation will rise to 19.03%, in Kashipur to 38.62%, in Haridwar to 20.90%, and in Roorkee to 36.20%. Haldwani in Nainital will see an OBC reservation of 18.42%. However, in Dehradun, the recommendation is for a reservation of 11.92%, which is lower than 14%, and in Rishikesh, it is 9.06%. In the hill district of Pauri, Kotdwar is recommended for 6.52%, and Srinagar for 5.51% OBC reservation.
For specific municipalities, Dehradun’s Vikasnagar is recommended for a 22.93% reservation, Doiwala for 34.82%, Mussoorie for 12.23%, Mangalore in Haridwar for 67.73%, Laksar for 36.04%, and Shivalik Nagar for 14.91%.
In Udham Singh Nagar, Gadarpur is recommended for 37.85%, Jaspur for 63.52%, Bajpur for 32.59%, Kichha for 46.05%, Sitarganj for 49.11%, Khatima for 34.69%, Mahuakhedaganj for 62.41%, and Nagla for 26.16% reservation.
In the hill districts, municipalities like Gauchar and Karnaprayag in Chamoli, Devprayag in Tehri, Pauri and Dugadda in Pauri, and Pithoragarh, Didihat, Gangolihat, Berinag in Pithoragarh have OBC reservations recommended to be significantly less than 10%.
The reservation will be implemented as per the recommendations, provided the combined reservation for SC, ST, and OBC does not exceed 50%, an official said.
