The Supreme Court hasn’t struck off the other backward classes (OBCs) quota in the local body poll, but it wants the state governments, including Maharashtra, to support the quantum with supporting data and ensure that the total reservation is capped at 50 per cent. The court has asked, like last year, to start a pre-poll process, pending its decision on the quota. When the elections were held in such circumstances last year, all political parties fielded OBC contestants in the erstwhile reserved ward, and they are about to do the same this year as well, if pre-poll arrangements do not delay as expected to give the government time to go to the court with the data. In any case, the OBCs will not be denied their right, at least in these elections. Then, why is there ho halla from the opposition and ruling parties?

The MVA government is under pressure and incessant attack on the charges that it did not do the needful in the past two years, while the BJP is accused of not sharing the census data which is in possession of the Centre, which has denied it the information on caste groups. Not only Maharashtra but some BJP-ruled states have also been asked by the SC to complete the exercise for justifying the OBC quota. The argument between the MVA and BJP will intensify ahead of polling which is not expected to happen in at least the next two-three months.