Do backward classes have political representation? Odisha panel to find out

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. (Photo: Mohan Charan Majhi/X)

The Odisha government on Wednesday constituted a commission for the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) to study their representation in local self-government institutions and assess their political representation.

The commission, headed by retired High Court judge Pramath Patnaik, will examine the “nature and implications of political backwardness” of the SEBC categories, which comprise a significant portion of the state’s population. Officials said a notification in this regard was issued after the proposal was approved by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Specifically, the commission will study the proportion of SEBCs in the population of rural and urban areas and assess their representation in local self-government institutions in relation to their population share. It will also assess their political representation and examine the extent of their political backwardness.

According to an official statement, the study will help the government consider measures to ensure adequate representation of people belonging to the backward classes in local self-government institutions, including municipal corporations, municipalities and notified area councils in urban areas, and panchayati raj institutions in rural areas.

The move by the BJP government comes ahead of the forthcoming panchayat and urban local body (ULB) polls, scheduled for early next year. It also comes at a time when the Opposition parties — the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress — have stepped up their demand for increased reservation for backward classes in the state.

While the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe populations comprise around 40% of the state’s total population, unofficial data suggests that backward classes could account for around 54%, though there has been no official study on this.

Despite their large demographic share, SEBCs have only 11.25% reservation in state government jobs. The Majhi government recently also announced an 11.25% quota for SEBC students in medical, engineering and other technical courses.

Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More