Belagavi : State govt’s draft reservation list for elections to 90 zilla panchayat (ZP) and 301 taluk panchayat (TP) seats in Belagavi district has triggered objections from aspiring candidates over changes in categories, constituency names and boundaries.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan said objections, accompanied by supporting documents, could be submitted until Oct 19. Belagavi ZP, the largest in the state, has 45 of its 90 constituencies reserved for women. Of the 301 TP constituencies across 15 taluks, 154 have been reserved for women. They said 60% of its residents belonged to Hindu Maratha and its sub-castes, classified under backward class B, but the constituency had not been reserved for backward classes since 1995.
Some aspirants have also expressed dissatisfaction on social media, while fewer objections have been reported from newly formed taluks. Stay updated with the latest Hubballi news.
Party leaders said most objections had emerged from TP constituencies in Khanapur, Hukkeri, Bailhongal, Savadatti, Athani, Belagavi and Ramdurga. Seats have also been allocated to categories including general, backward class A and B women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Following re-delimitation, several constituencies where leaders and aspirants had been preparing to contest have been assigned different categories, disrupting their political calculations. Aspirants have alleged that reservations were not distributed through rotation as required and that some constituencies were continuously assigned to the same category. Anand Vadavat of Bidi village in Khanapur taluk has sought a review of the reservations for Kakkeri ZP and Bidi TP constituencies. He submitted an objection to the secretary of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, alleging that only certain classes had long been allowed to contest from the two constituencies. A group of villagers has objected to the reservation for Londa ZP constituency in Khanapur taluk. Download the TOI App.