GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has constituted an OBC panel, which would study the state's Other Backward Class (OBC) population and recommend reservation for them in panchayat and civic elections. The commission will be led by retired high court justice K.S. Jhaveri.

The commission will research the OBC population by village, taluka, and Nagar Palika, with their socioeconomic situation and political sway, and it will give a thorough analysis of the government. OBC reservations for local bodies will be decided in light of the report.

The action was taken in response to a circular from the State Election Commission that redistributed 10% of OBC seats to the general category. Elections for 3,252 village panchayats are currently scheduled but were delayed because of a Supreme Court petition about OBC reservation and rotation.

Punja Vansh and Amit Chavda, two prominent Congressmen, rejected the SEC's decision and urged that, in accordance with the Supreme Court's direction, a committee be formed to investigate the situation and that election be postponed until the report was submitted.

The Gujarat State Election Commission (SEC) wrote to all district collectors earlier this month requesting that these 10% seats be converted into general category seats for the upcoming elections to more than 3,200 grama panchayats while citing a recent Supreme Court decision.

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