Ranchi, Mar 14 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday hinted that the panchayat poll in Jharkhand could be conducted without the triple test guidelines and specifying the reservation for the OBCs as directed by the Supreme Court.

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Soren, who was responding to a query by AJSU legislator Lambodar Mahto during the Chief Minister Question Hour, said the apex court in its order did not say the panchayat poll could only be held after implementing the triple test.

"Had it been so, panchayat poll could not have taken place in West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu," he said.

Mahto had asked if the government intends to conduct the three-tier panchayat poll in violation of the Supreme Court order on triple tests and OBC reservation.

The Supreme Court had in January this year declined to recall its earlier orders quashing 27 per cent OBC quota in panchayat poll in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The apex court had said the states election commissions would de-reserve OBC seats in all future local body elections across the country unless such quota is determined in strict compliance with its triple test guidelines.

The triple test includes setting up a dedicated commission to conduct an inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness in connection with local bodies.

Its second condition is to specify the proportion of reservations required to be provisioned in the local bodies as per the commission's recommendations.

The third test is that the reservation should not exceed 50 per cent of the seats reserved in favour of SCs, STs, and OBCs taken together.

To Mahto's comment that the triple test process could be completed in just two months and the rural poll could be conducted thereafter, the chief minister said “It is a long process as a household survey is required for it. Panchayat polls have already been pending since 2021 due to many reasons, mainly Covid-19 pandemic."

He said that due to the delay in holding the panchayat poll, the state is losing its share from the Centre that is causing huge financial loss to state exchequer. The Centre has already stopped around Rs 700- Rs 800 crore.

Soren said there has been demand from the opposition and panchayat representatives for holding the polls. “So, we cannot delay it further”.

The tenure of 4,402 mukhiyas (village heads) and panchayat committees ended on January 4, 2021. In 2015, the poll for election of 4,402 mukhiyas, 5,423 panchayat ward samitis and 545 zila parishad committees were held from November 22 to December 12.

Later, BJP legislator Dhulu Mahto demanded jobs and compensation or return of land to those whose land have been acquired by coal companies for mining projects but have not been used.

The chief minister said that land acquisition by coal companies are done under Coal Bearing Act, which falls under the purview of Government of India.

“We are studying it and taking opinions from experts. We will take the decision only after assessment", he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)