Bhubaneswar, October 2: On the occasion of the 157th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the OBC Forum Odisha State Committee staged a demonstration in Bhubaneswar on Thursday, demanding 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the upcoming Panchayat and Municipality elections in 2027 and the formation of an OBC Commission in Odisha.
The Forum, led by its chairman Rabi Behera, along with Naba Kishor Behera, Ex-Corporator, BMC, Abhimanyu Barik, Prafulla Das, Rasmi Rekha Behera, Narayan Dalua, Desha Priya Das, Subha Darshini Raut and others, staged the demonstration at Mahatma Gandhi Park in Bhubaneswar and later submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Odisha, urging immediate steps to address various demands concerning the backward classes in the state.
A key demand of the Forum was the provision of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in the forthcoming Zilla Parishad, Municipality and Panchayat elections.
The organisation also urged the authorities to include a separate OBC column in the caste census form, which is scheduled to begin in February 2027, stating that such a provision would help ensure proper enumeration of the OBC population.
Another major demand was the reorganisation of the OBC Financial Corporation to facilitate loans for unemployed youths from the OBC community and promote self-employment opportunities.
Rabi Behera urged the Governor to direct the Odisha Government to take immediate measures for ensuring social justice and addressing the socio-economic concerns of the backward classes, which, according to the organisation, constitute around 52 per cent of the state's population.
