BHUBANESWAR: The Assembly on Tuesday passed the Odisha Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 keeping the maximum limit of reservation of seats at 50 per cent for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward class citizens in urban local bodies (ULBs).
With the passing of the Bill, decks are now cleared for holding elections to 114 urban local bodies (ULBs) including five municipal corporations and 48 municipalities. The State has 61 Notified Area Councils (NAC).
Elections to the civic bodies have not been held for three years after the expiry of the term of the elected bodies in September 2108. Sources said the State government has not completed the delimitation and reservation exercise based on which, the State Election Commission (SEC) has to prepare the electoral rolls and set the polls in process.
The State government has been holding up the elections despite the Orissa High Court setting aside the Odisha Municipal (Delimitation of Wards, Reservation of seats and Conduct of Elections) Amendment Rules, 2016 as reservation of seats had breached the 50 per cent ceiling and the Supreme Court upholding the HC order in 2019.
The government has also introduced the Odisha Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Assembly with similar reservation provisions in 3-tier Panchayati raj institutions. As elections to the PRIs is due in early next year, it is expected that the government may hold simultaneous polls for the rural local bodies and civic bodies.