Sonepur: People from various quarters have expressed displeasure over the reservation of seats for the upcoming panchayat elections in Subarnapur district.
People from OBC category in certain areas are miffed over the reservation while those from ST category have termed the seat reservation as faulty.
The Zilla Adivasi Sangh, a body of tribal people, alleged that the district administration had suggested seat reservation in such a way that the tribal people would not get a fair chance for proper representation in the three-tier panchayat polls.
This has, in fact, let down the tribal communities in the district, the Sangh said. Sore over seat reservation, the Sangh has warned of boycotting the upcoming elections.
According to reports, there are 109 panchayats in the district. However, the Sangh alleged that not a single seat for the post of sarpanch was reserved for the ST category.
It also said that as per the reservation system prescribed in the Constitution, people of ST category are entitled to get scope for contesting elections.
“Over 10 per cent of the population in the district belongs to ST category while they are deprived of their rights to contest elections for sarpanch seats,” the Sangh added.
A delegation of the Sangh submitted a memorandum to District Collector Aboli Sunil Naravane and sought a revision of the reservation of seats.
PNN