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Article 243D allows States to provide reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Panchayats, but such reservation cannot exceed ______ of total seats, and is subject to State legislation based on quantifiable data on backwardness.
- 25%
- 50%
- 75%
- 10%
Answer: 50%
OBC reservation in Panchayats: (a) Article 243D (73rd Amendment): Allows States to provide reservation for OBCs in Panchayats, subject to conditions: (i) Ceiling: OBC reservation cannot exceed 50% of total seats (including SC/ST, women reservations), (ii) State legislation: Reservation must be provided through State law, not automatic constitutional mandate, (iii) Quantifiable data: State must collect empirical evidence on social, educational, economic backwardness of OBC groups, (b) Applications: (i) State variation: Some States (e.g., Bihar, Karnataka) have enacted OBC reservation in Panchayats; others have not, based on local data, political consensus, (ii) Implementation: States with OBC reservation conduct surveys, identify backward classes, determine reservation percentage within 50% ceiling, (iii) Legal challenges: OBC reservation in Panchayats subject to judicial scrutiny for compliance with Indra Sawhney principles (creamy layer exclusion, quantifiable data), (c) Challenges: (i) Data collection: Reliable, updated data on OBC backwardness at local level challenging to collect, verify, (ii) Political consensus: OBC reservation may face opposition from other groups; requires broad political agreement, (iii) Implementation capacity: States need administrative capacity to identify OBCs, implement reservation, monitor impact, (d) Illustrates adaptive federalism: Article 243D enables State-level affirmative action in local governance; flexibility allows States to address local backwardness while respecting constitutional limits (50% ceiling, empirical basis).