Archive · 31 Oct 2025
Gujarat Municipal Corporations Double OBC Reserved Seats Post-Reservation Hike
Imagine a group of city governments in Gujarat that are having elections soon.
Before, only a small number of seats were set aside for people from Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Now, the government has decided to set aside many more seats for them, almost tripling the number in some cities.
This means that out of all the seats available for election, a bigger portion will be for OBC candidates.
This change is happening because a special commission looked into the issue and recommended more reservations.
The election commission is making sure this rule is followed for the upcoming elections, also ensuring that half of these new reserved seats go to women.
OBC reserved seats in six Gujarat municipal corporations have more than doubled from 57 in 2021 to 155 for the upcoming elections.
The increase follows the Gujarat government's decision to raise OBC reservation in local bodies from 10% to 27%, based on the Jhaveri Commission's recommendations.
The State Election Commission has issued final directives for reservation quotas in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar municipal corporations.
Women will receive 50% reservation within the newly allocated OBC seats, as well as in general, SC, and ST categories.
The number of seats reserved for SC and ST communities in these corporations remains unchanged.
- Who
- Gujarat State Election Commission (SEC)
- What
- Increased the number of seats reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in six municipal corporations.
- When
- Directives issued following the state government's decision to increase OBC reservation; elections are set for early next year.
- Where
- Six municipal corporations in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar.
- Why
- To implement the state government's decision to increase OBC reservation from 10% to 27% based on the recommendations of the Jhaveri Commission.
Political Parties
Impact on Existing Corporators
Candidate Fielding Dilemma
Political Parties
Both BJP and Congress face challenges in deciding how to field candidates due to the redrawn reservation map.
Impact on Existing Corporators
The increased reservations have reduced the number of general category seats, potentially impacting senior corporators who have won for multiple terms and may no longer be fielded in their current wards.
- Total OBC Seats (2026)
- 155
- Total OBC Seats (2021)
- 57
- New OBC Reservation Percentage
- 27%
- Previous OBC Reservation Percentage
- 10%
- Corporations Covered
- 6
- Women Reservation
- 50%