Odisha Panchayat Polls: Draft Reservation List Not Acceptable, Says Opposition

Bhubaneswar: The BJP and the Congress on Saturday came down heavily on the Odisha government over the faulty reservation of seats for the panchayat election.

BJP state general secretaries Prithviraj Harichandan and Lekhashree Samantsinghar said though the state government had announced that there will be no change in the reservation categories, it has made the changes.

Stating that the changes were made at the last minute, they said, “The government  proposals for reservations were sent to the blocks on October 6 and the district administrations prepared the draft list on October 8. Moreover, we have information that the draft reservation list of 10 districts was not received till October 8,” they added.

They said there is also no clarity on the procedure and yardstick of the reservation. “Due to the faulty preparation of the list, the district collectors will receive a number of objections,” they pointed out.

In his reaction, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said the government has prepared the list after realising that it cannot defer the panchayat polls further. In order to win the election, the government has made the changes in gross violation of the norms of the Constitution.

Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said the reservation of the seats has been stage-managed. “The draft reservation list is a farce as the government had already prepared it much earlier. Messages had been sent to the BDOs and district collectors asking them to prepare the list in consultation with the local leaders,” he said.

Besides, Bahimipati said the allotment of seats for the ST, SC and OBC candidates was pre-planned by the government. Otherwise, how can the district collectors send the draft reservation list two days after the government came up with a notification, he asked.

“The list is prepared to favour the ruling party and we demand immediate cancellation of the list,” Bahinipati said.

Refuting the allegations of the Opposition, BJD leader Prashant Muduli said the opposition parties’ objection is unfounded. Since the panchayat election is not fought on political parties’ symbol or their political lines, the candidates can raise objection, he added.

Also Read: Voter List For Panchayat Polls In Odisha In Two Months: SEC