In his first Independence Day speech as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Congress’s Bhupesh Baghel made a major political announcement – increasing the Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation from 14 to 27 percent – a dream of the Mandal Commission.
However, it was overshadowed by the decision to create 25 new tehsils in the state, adding to the existing 150, among others. The OBC quota announcement was a bolt from the blue, as it was not even part of the Congress party’s election manifesto or campaign.
CM भूपेश बघेल के साथ बैठक करेंगे अमित शाह, नक्सल समस्या पर निकल सकता है हल
It was not promised, and probably was not discussed within the ruling party in the state. It appeared to be a surprise Independence Day gift to the OBC population, who form half the state’s population, by one of their own leaders (Baghel himself is an OBC). Baghel has also pushed for an additional 1 percent to the existing Scheduled Caste quota, in a bid to raise it from 12 to 13 percent.