Bhopal, Sep 23 (NationPress) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that the state government is proactively addressing the controversial issue of 27 percent reservation for individuals belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Madhya Pradesh.

"The state administration is fully committed to resolving the OBC reservation matter," the Chief Minister stated on his official social media platform X following a meeting with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during his trip to New Delhi late Monday.

During their discussion, the Chief Minister elaborated on the government's strategy to elevate the reservation allotment for OBC candidates from 14 percent to 27 percent in state government job recruitments.

This meeting occurred just two days prior to the Supreme Court's scheduled day-to-day hearings on multiple petitions submitted by various stakeholders, including the OBC Mahasabha, starting on Wednesday (September 24).

Initially, the hearings were supposed to commence on September 23 (Tuesday) but were postponed to September 24.

Earlier, on August 28, Chief Minister Yadav had organized an all-party meeting aimed at achieving a consensus among political parties, including the Opposition, to amicably resolve the contentious OBC reservation issue.

This marks a significant moment as it is the first initiative taken by the BJP government in the state to seek a resolution through collaboration with the Opposition in the past five years, as noted by the BJP leader.

The dispute surrounding the 27 percent reservation for OBCs in Madhya Pradesh began in March 2019 when the previous Kamal Nath government raised the quota from 14 percent to 27 percent.

Subsequently, the Madhya Pradesh High Court put a hold on the increased quota for OBCs, citing the 50 percent reservation ceiling.

Approximately 70 related petitions were filed in the High Court.

In 2022, the state government introduced the 87:13 formula, where 13 percent of positions remained unfilled until the resolution of the ongoing court cases.

This decision faced challenges in the High Court.

On January 28 this year, the High Court dismissed petitions contesting the 87:13 formula initiated by the state government.

On February 13, the state government approached the Supreme Court for an expedited hearing concerning the OBC quota issue.

Before the 2019 adjustment, Madhya Pradesh maintained a reservation structure of 14 percent for OBC, 20 percent for ST, and 16 percent for SC, capping at 50 percent.

The increased OBC quota has escalated the total reservation to 63 percent, surpassing the 50 percent quota ceiling.