Bhubaneswar, September 23: The Odisha Other Backward Classes (OBC) Forum has demanded 27 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in the upcoming 2027 Panchayat elections and urged the state government to constitute the State Backward Classes Commission at the earliest.
Rabi Behera, Chairman of the State OBC Forum, called upon the Odisha government to implement 27 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in the forthcoming Panchayat elections.
Behera claimed that Backward Classes account for around 52 per cent of Odisha’s population and alleged that the state government has failed to act with urgency on the constitution of the State Backward Classes Commission, which, he said, is necessary to safeguard the constitutional rights of the community.
In a press statement, Behera said a memorandum seeking the constitution of the OBC Commission was submitted to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on April 14, 2025, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
According to Behera, the Chief Minister had assured the delegation that immediate steps would be taken in this regard. However, he claimed that the Backward Classes Commission has yet to be constituted.
The OBC Forum has also been demanding 27 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in the forthcoming Panchayat, Zilla Parishad and municipal elections. Behera said the demand has not been implemented so far.
He said that the OBC Forum would soon launch a street agitation demanding the constitution of the State Backward Classes Commission and 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in the forthcoming Panchayat elections.
Behera further said the tenure of the State Backward Classes Commission, which was constituted before January 1, 2024, has expired. He pointed out that the BJP government has been in office for nearly two and a half years and claimed that several other commissions, including the Child Commission, Women’s Commission, Human Rights Commission and State Election Commission, have already been constituted.
