PANJIM: Ahead of the ward reservation for other backward classes (OBC) for the upcoming panchayat elections, the State government on Tuesday notified the inclusion of 19 communities as backward classes to grant them political representation in local bodies.
The State Election Commission (SEC) is expected to finalise the ward reservation for OBC across 186 panchayats by Wednesday and the notification would be issued a day after. The elections are scheduled on August 10.
Director of Panchayats Siddhi Halarnkar, in a notification issued by the department, has said that the communities are notified for inclusion in backward classes after taking into consideration the report and recommendations of the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes.
Halarnkar has notified the ‘inclusion of communities from the State list of OBC as Backward Classes for the purpose of reservation of seats for political representation in local bodies’, namely Village Panchayats.
The government said that the notification shall remain in force for the purpose of provisioning reservation in favour of the notified Other Backward Classes for the 2022 General Elections to Village Panchayats.
The State government has decided to follow the triple-test mandate laid down by the Supreme Court for OBC reservation.
