Election for local bodies after providing reservation for backward classes: Karnataka CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated on Wednesday that local body elections will be held after reservations for backward classes are established.

The all-party meeting held on Wednesday unanimously decided to hold elections for local bodies after providing reservations for backward classes, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Bommai said political backward classes should be identified and a Commission should be constituted for this purpose.

"Appropriate measures will be taken in the backdrop of the recent Supreme Court [SC] order," he said.

The Supreme Court in its recent order quashed the 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Class' (OBCs) in local body elections.

"A meeting would again be convened by the end of this month and a final decision would be taken in this regard in the presence of the leaders of the Opposition," CM Bommai said.

"At today's meeting, we discussed in detail possible measures to provide reservations for backward classes and how to conduct the elections in the backdrop of the SC order. The Advocate General [AG] explained the legal aspect," he said.

We have the option of conducting elections after constituting a Commission and getting its report or filing a review petition in the Supreme Court. But it is impossible to hold elections without reservations for backward classes, he added.