BHUBANESWAR: Elections to various urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State, that has been pending for more than two years, will be delayed further as Odisha government is yet to amend the existing laws to determine the reservation and delimitation of seats.
The reservation of seats for SC, ST and OBC in the ULB polls will be possible only after necessary amendments to the existing Orissa Municipal Act-1950 and Orissa Municipal Corporation Act-2003.
Sources in the State Election Commission (SEC) said the government in its response to the panel earlier this month had stated that steps are being taken for amendment of both the Acts.
A top official in the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department, however, said the file to initiate amendment process is still pending with the government and no decision has been taken in this regard yet.
The notifications for preparation of electoral roll, which takes at least one and half month time, and urban elections will be issued by the SEC only after the government completes delimitation process and determines reservation of seats, an official from the SEC said. As the laws are yet to be amended, the election process may be delayed further, he said.
In 2018, the Orissa High Court on a PIL had asked the government not to exceed 50 per cent reservation of seats for the SC, ST and OBC in the non-scheduled areas. Challenging the order, the government in September 2018 had moved the Supreme Court which rejected its appeal.
A special leave petition filed by the government in this regard in the apex court was also rejected on January 22, 2019 in which the top Court had asked the government to abide by the directive of the High Court.
The task continues to remain incomplete since then, officials said. While the tenure of 65 ULBs including Berhampur Municipal Corporation expired since September 29, 2018, the representatives of 48 civic bodies including Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Sambalpur municipal corporations completed two years of their term on February 13.