The Congress-NCP alliance government in Maharashtra after a complete defeat in the Lok Sabha elections is set to announce 4.5 per cent reservation for Muslims in education and government jobs.
An in-theory decision has been taken on ‘social reservation’ for Muslims and Marathas after Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar made a strong chuck for it to revive the alliance’s fortunes in the Assembly elections scheduled in October.
Scrapping of the local body tax and Social reservation mooted by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan were two major demands Pawar had raised in his interaction with Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and A K Antony in New Delhi recently.
The two had invited Pawar and sought his support to keep the alliance unharmed and help retain the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra.
Muslims account for 10.6 per cent of the population in Maharashtra and Marathas around 35 per cent. A committee under Mahmood Narayan had recommended 20 per cent reservation for Maratha and another committee under Rane -ur Rehman had recommended 8 per cent quota for the Muslims community.
According to Government sources, decision may be taken by the state cabinet as early as Wednesday once the model code of conduct for Council elections ends Tuesday. While,for Marathas, the state government is expected to set aside only 12 per cent and not the quantum recommended by the Rane committee.
When get in touch with, Chief Minister Chavan , he told that the state government was ready to take on board the key demands made by Pawar. He is in anticipation of a formal note from his deputy Ajit Pawar, who heads the finance department, on replacing LBT with state-wide value added tax. “I am willing to do away with LBT if that’s what Pawar wants,” he said.
The government has to tread with care while deciding on social reservation.The state is taking clear legal opinion before announcing reservation as expected. There is fear this may be legally untenable and that’s why the state is keen the proposal does not get stuck in the courts, according to Chavan.
No offer made by the congress party to NCP chief Sharad Pawar to lead the Democratic Front government in the state Assembly polls scheduled in October, he said.
Pawar, whom Ahmed Patel and Antony called on thrice recently, had told NCP ministers and even media that he was asked by them to lead the alliance into the polls.
“My impression is the Central leadership made no such offer,” Chavan said.
Besides speaking with Antony and Patel, Chavan is learnt to have had a 35-minute meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. As per the sources in the state Congress, said asking Pawar to spearhead the campaign was similar to locking the party office in Maharashtra.
Senior state leaders, including Chavan, are scheduled to meet the Congress leadership tasked with the job to analyze the debacle in the Lok Sabha elections later this week. Sources in the Congress said both the NCP and the state Congress are willing to fight the Assembly elections on their own strengths.
Although Chavan said, “NCP has been our ally since the formation of UPA. We will fight the elections together. We will not agree to 50:50 sharing of seats, but are willing to make some concessions.”