minister Pratap Jena on Tuesday said the process for preparation of a fresh reservation list minusquota for backward classesin the panchayat polls has already been started and the list will be submitted soon to the State Election Commission (SEC).
The minister said that the fresh reservation list is being prepared in accordance with the observations of the Orissa High Court following The Supreme Court‘s order.
While the State Government had already submitted the reservation list with 27% seats reserved for otherbackward classesto the SEC, the Orissa HC, citing recent orders of the SC, observed that there can be no reservation for backward class candidates.
The issue of no reservation to backward classes is also at the centre ofOdisha‘s politics as the BJD announced to give tickets to at least 40% OBC candidates.