U.P. receives 832 objections against quota in mayoral polls
A high number of objections have been filed against proposed ward and mayoral post reservations for upcoming local elections in Lucknow and 17 other municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh. The objections signal that the polls will be multi-cornered, as candidates from various parties vie for positions. Officials have worked to dispose of the objections quickly, with a final reservation notification expected soon. Many of the objections argued non-compliance with reservation rules.
A total of 258 objections have been filed by candidates against the proposed ward reservation for the upcoming Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) elections. In addition, 17 objections have been filed against reservations in the Lucknow nagar panchayat polls.
Moreover, as many as 832 objections have been filed against the proposed reservation for the mayoral posts in 17 municipal corporations of the state.
The high number of objections has taken officials by surprise as it signals that the contests during the urban local body polls will be multi-cornered. Offices of the urban development department and directorate worked till late at night on Thursday and even on Friday despite festivals and a public holiday to dispose of the objections at the earliest, after which the final reservation list will be issued, said a department official.
In Lucknow, a maximum of 96 objections have been filed from the Kalyan Singh ward, many of which argued the conversion of the ward from scheduled caste (SC) to other backward castes (OBC). A large number of objections also came from the Kanhaiya Madhopur-II ward; most complainants wanted the ward to be reserved for SC.
Most of the 832 objections against the proposed reservation for the seats of mayor made a case for the “non-compliance” of reservation rules. Legal opinion is reportedly being sought so that the matter does not get stuck in court.
After the disposal of the objections, a final reservation notification is expected. The department issued its provisional notification for the reservation of seats for the civic body elections on March 30. Objections were invited for seven days, which ended on Thursday.
