OBC Quota In MP: Count But Cap

It's a pyrrhic victory for Madhya Pradesh-the SC allows OBC quotas for local body polls, but effectively halves it

- Rahul Noronha

QUALIFIED WIN

CM Shivraj Chouhan being feted on May 21, post SC verdict

A curious dichotomy has developed in Madhya A Pradesh after the Supreme Court's May 18 judgment allowing seat reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the upcoming elections to panchayats and urban bodies. Cornering OBC votes is a prime concern for both the ruling BJP and the Congress-both sides, keen to portray themselves as the real champions of the backwards, have let loose a barrage of allegations and counterallegations, painting the other party as anti-OBC. The BJP is celebrating the verdict as a victory gained through its efforts, the Congress is calling it an abysmal defeat. On May 21, one OBC organisation felicitated Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, another called it a black day. The irony is that the verdict enables both to justify their charges. To make matters more confusing, as things stand, the apex court has disallowed Maharashtra exactly what it has allowed Madhya Pradesh.