On September 13, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav reiterated his government’s stand on ensuring 27 percent reservation for Other Backwards Classes in Madhya Pradesh. The assurance came during a meeting with a delegation of the OBC Mahasabha, which submitted a memorandum of demands at the CM’s residence in Bhopal.
According to an official statement, Yadav underlined that the state government would “protect the rights of OBCs” and fully abide by the upcoming verdict of the Supreme Court. “The Centre has approved a caste-based census to prepare basic data of all communities. The issue of OBC reservation is pending before the Supreme Court, with regular hearings scheduled to begin from 23 September. The government will abide by the court’s decision,” Yadav said.
The delegation included several petitioners in the ongoing legal case, among them OBC Mahasabha’s national core committee member Lokendra Gurjar. Speaking after the meeting, Gurjar told PTI, “Currently OBCs are getting 14 per cent reservation in MP. We want this figure to go up to 27 per cent.”
Gurjar, one of the main petitioners in the Supreme Court case, stressed that the community expects the government to stand firmly by its commitment. The delegation also included lawyers and other representatives advocating for an increase in the OBC quota.
Earlier on September 13, Advocate General Prashant Singh chaired a strategy meeting to prepare the state’s case before the apex court. The session resolved to present Madhya Pradesh’s position effectively with assistance from the Solicitor General, Attorney General, and senior lawyers recommended by the OBC community.
Yadav had also convened a round of discussions with stakeholders on August 28, during which he noted that all major political parties in the state supported the 27 percent OBC quota demand.
The demand for expanded OBC reservation in Madhya Pradesh has been a politically sensitive issue for years. In 2019, the Congress government under then Chief Minister Kamal Nath raised the quota from 14 percent to 27 percent through an ordinance. However, the move ran into legal hurdles, resulting in prolonged litigation.
OBCs make up a significant 51.8 percent of Madhya Pradesh’s population, making the community a decisive factor in state politics. Since 2003, every BJP chief minister, from Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur to Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mohan Yadav, has come from the OBC community, reflecting their political weight in the state.
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