PATNA: Bihar ’s ruling JD(U) has demanded 83% reservation for different caste groups in neighbouring state Jharkhand .

In a political resolution passed at its state-level workers’ meeting held in the presence of its national president and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in Ranchi on Saturday, the JD(U) sought 32% quota of Scheduled Tribes (ST), 14% for Scheduled Caste (SC), 27% for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and 10% for Economically weaker section (EWS) among the unreserved category.

Jharkhand government currently provides 26% quota to ST, 10% to SC, 14% to OBCs and 10% to EWS, total 60% to different communities.

As per the JD(U)’s political resolution, the party wants to increase the ST’s quota to 32% from existing 26%, (an increase of 6%); the SC’s quota to 14% from existing 10% (increase of 4%) and the OBC’s quota to 27% from the existing 14% (increase of 13%).

If the JD(U) proposal comes into effect, Jharkhand will have a total of 83% reservation, the highest in the country by any state and 23% more than the 50% cap on quotas mandated by the Supreme Court.

The JD(U) proposed reservation formula for Jharkhand is almost similar to the recently-introduced quota formula in Chhatisgarh by the Congress CM Bhupesh Baghel.

The Chhatisgarh government, in a cabinet decision on August 28 this year, hiked quota for OBC and SC. It now provides a total reservation of 82%. In Chhatisgarh, the OBCs get 27% quota, ST- 32%, SC-13% and EWS-10%.

In Bihar, the JD(U) led Nitish Kumar government currently provides a total 60% quota to different reserved groups. In Bihar, the Extremely backward caste gets 18% quota, backward caste-12%, SC-16%, EWS-10%, backward women- 3% and ST only 1%.

Sources in JD(U) said, when the party’s Jharkhand unit president Salkhan Murmu read out the political resolution seeking a revised quota formula for the mineral-rich state, at the workers’ meeting in Ranchi on Saturday, the party president Nitish Kumar, vice president Prashant Kishor and several other senior leaders were present at the meeting.

Moreover, Nitish, in his address, categorically said that quota for OBC in Jharkhand should be hiked to 27% from the existing 14%.

Contacted over the phone, Murmu said the former NDA government led by Babulal Marandi had once notified total 73% quota for ST, SC and OBC in Jharkhand. But it was then struck down by the Jharkhand high court on the plea that the total quota should not cross the 50% cap mandated by the Supreme Court.

“Now, since the 50% cap has been removed after the introduction of 10% quota for EWS, we request the current BJP government led by Raghubar Das to implement the quota formula once notified by Marandi government,” Murmu said.

He said the JD(U) would implement 83% quota if the party is voted to power in Jharkhand in the next assembly elections likely to be held in November-December this year.

