The Congress is preparing to challenge the Jabalpur High Court's ruling on 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Madhya Pradesh in the Supreme Court. The party also plans to launch a statewide public awareness campaign in coordination with social organisations under the leadership of Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari.
The issue of 27% reservation for OBCs has returned to the centre of political debate in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress plans to challenge the High Court ruling that declared the increase to 27% unconstitutional and retained the existing 14% reservation provision.
Alongside the legal challenge, the party intends to build public support by engaging with representatives of social organisations across different regions of the state. The strategy focuses on bringing OBC organisations together on a common platform rather than having the Congress directly lead the movement.
The approach is intended to unite OBC organisations around the reservation issue while avoiding the perception among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes that the party is favouring one social group over another.
Jitu Patwari will lead the campaign, with senior Congress leaders assigned responsibilities in different regions to facilitate wider consultations and mobilise public support on the reservation issue.
The Congress plans to contact OBC organisations and representatives across Madhya Pradesh, with senior leaders taking responsibility for the Nimar, Vindhya and Gwalior-Chambal regions.
Former state Congress president Arun Yadav and Sachin Yadav are expected to be assigned responsibilities in the Nimar region. Former minister Kamleshwar Patel and Siddharth Kushwaha will be active in the Vindhya region. In Gwalior-Chambal, Rajya Sabha member Ashok Singh, along with Dinesh Gurjar and Lakhan Yadav, will be assigned responsibilities.
Through the campaign, the party aims to bring social organisations onto a common platform and mobilise support for OBC reservation. The Congress intends to broaden the debate beyond the legal proceedings and encourage discussion of the issue across the state.
In 2019, the then Kamal Nath government decided to increase OBC reservation in Madhya Pradesh from 14% to 27%. The increase was introduced through an ordinance before the Lok Sabha elections.
The decision was subsequently challenged in court, with several petitions filed before the High Court. The matter also reached the Supreme Court, which directed that the related petitions be heard together. Owing to the legal dispute, the benefits of 27% reservation could not be implemented uniformly across all relevant cases.
A Jabalpur High Court bench comprising Justice Anand Pathak and Justice Vinay Saraf declared the increase in OBC reservation to 27% unconstitutional.
According to the court, the special circumstances required to justify the increase in reservation were not present. Under the ruling, OBC reservation in Madhya Pradesh will remain at 14%.
Following the verdict, the Congress and various social organisations said they would pursue further legal action. Some organisations have also questioned the government's legal representation in the case.
The Congress strategy combines a legal challenge with efforts to account for the state's social dynamics. The party plans to expand engagement with OBC organisations to build support for the reservation demand while also emphasising the need to maintain social balance among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Attention is now focused on the proposed challenge in the Supreme Court and the Congress's public awareness campaign. Regional meetings, consultations with social organisations and efforts to mobilise public support will shape the party's campaign on the reservation issue across Madhya Pradesh.
