UP Civic elections: Samajwadi Party MLAs file petition in Supreme court

The Samajwadi Party’s MLAs and leaders have also filed a petition in the Supreme Court’s Uttar Pradesh body election case. 

Seven SP leaders, including Samajwadi Party MLA Ram Singh Patel, have challenged the decision of the High Court by filing a petition in the Supreme Court. SP MLA Ram Singh Patel from Patti Vidhansabha of Pratapgarh district has demanded in the petition that local body elections be conducted with OBC reservation. 

They also sought to stay the decision of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court to conduct elections without OBC reservation. 

During the day On Monday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government and sought listing of the matter on Tuesday. However, the court said that it will hear the matter on Wednesday.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court regarding OBC reservation in local body elections. On behalf of the state government, it was said in the Supreme Court that they have constituted the OBC commission; in such a situation, the local body elections should be conducted after the report of the commission. According to sources, in the petition, the state government has urged to stay the decision of the High Court, to approve the conduct of elections only after the report of the commission. 

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday constituted a Backward Classes Commission in the state. 

The commission, will be chaired by retired Judge Ram Avtar Singh. An official statement issued by the Uttarpradesh government said, “On the basis of the commission’s report, the backward class reservation will be decided for UP’s municipal body elections,” 

Former IAS officers CS Verma and Mahendra Kumar, former legal advisor Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma, and former additional legal advisor and additional district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni are other members of the commission.

On Tuesday, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered the government to conduct urban body elections in UP without implementing the OBC quota. 

According to this, a rapid survey of the backward classes is to be conducted by the state government in every municipal body. Since 1991, all the elections to the municipal bodies (years-1995, 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2017) have been conducted on the basis of these provisions given in the Act and the report of the Rapid Survey.