Bhubaneswar, Jan 3: The voice of discontentment continued to grow over the reservation of seats for other backward classes (OBCs) in the upcoming three-tier Panchayat elections in Odisha when a tribal outfit in the western district of Bolangir organised a massive protest rally on Monday.
The members of the outfit- Paschim Odisha Adivasi Kalyan Sangha- took out the rally and held a Maha Meli (meeting) in front of the office of the Bolangir district Collector. They alleged that their community has been sidelined in the reservation of seats for candidates in the forthcoming elections.
The association members demanded immediate implementation of reservation rules for Block chairman and Sarpanch in the Panchayat elections 2022 as per Article 243D of the Constitution of India. Article 243D of the Constitution under Part IX provides for reservation of seats for SC & ST in every Panchayat.
Meanwhile, members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a massive public protest in front of the Balasore collectorate alleging faulty reservation list for the Panchayat elections.
The party members demanded fair representation of all communities in the rural body elections.
“About 52 per cent of people in Odisha belong to backward classes, but reservation is not being provided to the community in a single Sarpanch seat. How will the State government conduct the Panchayat elections by sidelining the backward classes,” questioned BJP leader Manas Dutta.
