Maharashtra: Shinde Govt's BIG OBC-SC Outreach After Wooing Youths, Women With Financial Aid Ahead Of Assembly Polls

Assembly Elections 2024: Maharashtra's 288 legislative assembly seats are bound to go to the polls in the next few weeks once the Election Commission of India announces the voting dates. The EC has already reviewed its poll preparedness in the state and will be announcing the dates along with Jharkhand. Buoyant from its Haryana win, the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra led by the BJP has taken some key decisions in cabinet meetings chaired by CM Eknath Shinde. 

The Maharashtra government has taken two key decisions related to the Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Castes. The Shinde Cabinet has approved a draft ordinance to accord constitutional status to the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes Commission. The ordinance will be brought as a bill in the Maharashtra assembly's next session and the commission will have 27 posts.

Besides this, the cabinet also approved a proposal requesting the Union Government to hike the OBC creamy layer income ceiling to Rs 15 lakh annually from the current Rs 8 lakhs.

If the centre approves the increase in the income ceiling, more of the OBC population having income more than Rs 8 lakhs will become eligible to avail of the OBC reservation benefits. A non-creamy layer certificate stating the income of the person is required for OBC people to avail of reservation benefits meant for the caste group.

According to the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC), the state's OBC population is more than 38% of the total population. The state has 33 assembly seats reserved for SC candidates and 14 for ST candidates.

Taking a lesson from its poll debacle in the Lok Sabha Elections held in June where the ruling Mahayuti could win just 18 out of the 48 Parliamentary seats, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance has taken several key measures to woo the different sections of voters. Replicating the Madhya Pradesh model by implementing 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' to give Rs 1,500 monthly to women aged between 21 to 65 years. It has also decided to provide Rs 6,000 monthly to students who cleared 12th and Rs 8,000 per month to those having diploma degrees under the Ladla Bhai Yojana'.

By these ways, the ruling Mahayuti has tried to woo the women, youth, OBCs and ST voters ahead of the crucial assembly elections.