UP Local Body Election 2023: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accepted the report of the OBC Commission by Supreme Court and welcomed the order to conduct the urban local body elections with OBC quota. The Supreme Court has allowed the State Election Commission to issue a notification regarding the urban local body polls in the state.
CM Yogi Adityanath welcomed the order
In a tweet in Hindi, Adityanath said, "Accepting the report of the OBC Commission by the Honourable Supreme Court, and the orders to conduct the urban local body elections is welcome. The UP government is committed to conduct the urban local body elections in a time-bound manner, while following the rules of reservation in a lawful manner."
The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for holding the urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh as it allowed the State Election Commission to issue a notification in this regard in two days with an OBC quota in terms of a report of the Uttar Pradesh Backward Classes Commission.
Earlier, top court stayed an Allahabad High Court order
On January 4, the top court stayed an Allahabad High Court order directing the holding of the urban local body polls without any reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). It had also ordered that the panel appointed by the state government to decide on issues related to the grant of the OBC quota for the local body polls will have to conclude its exercise within three months (by March 31), instead of six months as stipulated earlier.
Earlier, the state government had moved the apex court with its appeal against a December 27, 2022 order of the high court, saying the latter cannot quash the draft notification issued on December 5 last year, which provided for reservation of seats in the urban civic body polls for the OBCs, apart from those for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and women.
The appeal said the OBCs are a constitutionally-protected section and the high court erred in quashing the draft notification. After the high court's order, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed a five-member commission for going into the entire gamut of issues for providing reservation to the OBCs in the urban local body polls.
(with inputs from PTI)
