The state Cabinet which met here on Monday, reportedly favoured to hold elections to over 208 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), with reservation of wards based on the 2011 census data.
According to official sources, the issue of holding elections to ULBs and the Supreme Court order on the matter came up for debate at the Cabinet and the Council of ministers are in favour of conducting the elections on the basis of the 2011 census data.
Some ministers reportedly pointed out that the apex court had given its nod to Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to hold elections to ULBs in their states based on the 2011 census statistics.
Maintaining that it woulddeprive SC/STs, OBCs and women 50 per cent reservation to contest, the ministers are reportedly in favour of appealing to both State Election Commission (SEC) and Supreme Court on the issue.
Meanwhile, a unanimous resolution is also likely to be moved in both Houses of the Legislature on Tuesday seeking the state government to hold elections to the ULBs on the basis of the data and provide information to the SEC about reservation. A resolution is expected to be moved from the Opposition side in both Assembly and Council, sources said.It may be recalled that the state government was in a quandary following the directions of the Supreme Court to hold the elections to the ULBs on the basis of the 2001 census data in providing reservations to wards which account for only 33.5 per cent of SC/ST, women and OBC categories.
The state government had also filed a review petition before the Supreme Court seeking stay on its Friday ruling on an application filed by the SEC.