Ahead Of Supreme Court Hearing, Madhya Pradesh Parties Unite For 27 Per Cent OBC quota

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday (28 August) chaired an all-party meeting at his residence in Bhopal.

After the meeting, Yadav announced that representatives from all major political parties—including the Congress, BJP, Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), and AAP—agreed to present a unified resolution in support of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) before the Supreme Court, where the issue currently remains pending, reported The Hindu.

He said, “Today, an all-party meeting was held regarding the case pending in the Supreme Court concerning 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs, in which a resolution was passed unanimously that all parties will unite and come together on one forum in this matter.”

CM Yadav stated that lawyers from the different parties will now collaborate to form a uniform legal strategy by 10 September, in view of the Supreme Court’s decision to hold daily hearings starting 22 September.

Congress, claiming vindication, called the meeting’s outcome a triumph of its advocacy.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Umang Singhar, commented, “After the continuous demands and struggle of the Congress, today the BJP government has agreed on the issue of OBC reservation. The Congress government of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath had laid a strong foundation for 27 per cent OBC reservation six years ago and had already proved its commitment by bringing an ordinance and passing a law on OBC reservation.”

However, Singhar accused the BJP of attempting to take credit for the Congress’s previous efforts.

The OBC communities—comprising nearly half of the state’s population—currently benefit from only 14 per cent reservation, the Congress government had raised it to 27 per cent by ordinance in March 2019.

The move was, however, challenged in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which issued a stay on the increased 13 per cent reservation, prompting a halt of various recruitment processes in the State.  

The ordinance was later replaced after the State Assembly passed a legislation to that effect — Madhya Pradesh Public Service (Reservation for SC, ST, and OBC) Amendment Act, 2019 — in July that year.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court later approved a temporary “87:13” formula, allowing recruitment on 87 per cent of posts while withholding the remaining 13 per cent until legal resolution.

Yadav added that the all-party meeting also agreed to expedite resolution of the pending 13 per cent quota to ensure candidates who might soon exceed age limits still receive the benefit.

Earlier on Wednesday, the MP Public Service Commission (MPPSC) filed an affidavit before the SC to withdraw its earlier affidavit that had sought rejection of a batch of petitions filed by candidates for the release of the remaining 13 per cent lists. 

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