Urban polls: Govt in a fix over ULB seats reservation

Bhubaneswar: The state government seems to be scratching its head over reservation of seats in various urban local bodies (ULBs), which will go for polls this year.
The Supreme Court (SC) has already ordered that the government cannot reserve seats above 50 per cent for SCs and STs and other categories.
While pronouncing the order of a case related to reservation of seats for Nuapada civic body, the Odisha High Court had also asked the state government not to raise the cap.
Although there was a ceiling fixed for the reservation of seats during last polls, the government has crossed 50 per cent quota in many ULBs.
However, with the order of courts, the government cannot reserve more than 50 per cent of the total seats during the upcoming urban polls, said a government official.
The Odisha Municipal Act, 1950 has provision for reservation of 27 per cent of seats for backward class citizens. Besides, there must be reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in every ULB and the number of seats so reserved shall bear the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that municipality as the population of the SC in the municipal area concerned or the ST in that areas bears to be total population. Moreover, one-third of total reservation must be for women.
If the government goes by the existing norms, it may contradict the order of courts. If it goes by the order, the existing Act must have to be amended, said the official.
With this situation, the government is planning to pass the buck to the Assembly, which will decide how much reservation should be given to which category.
Elections to 93 urban local bodies (ULBs) are due. While the terms of 66 ULBs, including that of Berhampur Municipal Corporation will expire September 30, 2018, those of 20 others will expire December 4, 2018. Two other ULBs will complete their terms December 9, 2018.
Similarly, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will be completing its term January 17, 2019, and the terms of Cuttack Municipal Corporation and Baripada Municipality end February 13, 2019. The terms of the municipalities of Bolangir and Titilagarh are to end July 11, 2019.