BHUBANESWAR: Four out of a total 30 posts of Zilla Parishad president have been reserved for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the draft notification issued by the State government for the panchayat polls. The rural elections are likely to be held in February next year. In the notification, ZP president posts in 10 districts have been reserved for scheduled tribes while four posts have gone to scheduled caste nominees. Similarly, 12 posts have been left unreserved.
As per the draft list published by the government, the ZP president’s post has been reserved for OBCs in Angul, Keonjhar, Khurda and Gajapati districts. Similarly, ZP chief posts in Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur and Bhadrak districts have been reserved for scheduled caste candidates.
The ZP presidents in Kandhamal, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Sundargarh and Sonepur districts will be scheduled tribe nominees. However, ZP president posts in Kalahandi, Kendrapara, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Nuapada, Puri, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh and Sambalpur will fall in the unreserved category.
Fifty per cent of all ZP chief posts have been reserved for women candidates. Districts which will have woman ZP presidents are Angul, Cuttack, Kalahandi, Koraput, Khurda, Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Bargarh, Boudh, Bhadrak, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Sonepur. The draft notification for reservation of seats of ward members, sarpanchs, panchayat samiti members, panchayat samiti chairperson and Zilla Parishad members has also been published.
Objections can be filed against the reservation of seats by 5.30 pm of October 25. While objections for reservation of ward members, sarpanchs, panchayat samiti members and panchayat samiti chairpersons will be disposed of by collectors, Principal Secretary in the Panchayatiraj department will hear objections relating to reservation in ZP member and president posts.