EC orders Centre's minority sub-quota on hold

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday asked the Centre to put on hold its plans for introducing a 4.5 percent sub-quota for minorities within the existing 27 percent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and universities till upcoming state elections are over.

The move comes amid a fledgling row over Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid's pre-poll promise of a 9 percent sub-quota for the backward Muslims in the Uttar Pradesh government jobs on Sunday if voted to power.

The cabinet late last month, ahead of election date announcements for five states including Uttar Pradesh, had approved the introduction out of the sub-quota for minorities, in a move widely seen as a way to appease Muslim voters in the politically charged state.

Even though the move was technically approved before the code of conduct kickked in, the Election Commission has said that the new quota reform would deprive other parties of a level-playing field in the state elections.

Welcoming the EC´s directive, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "What Congress was doing was crass vote bank politics...it has been exposed by the Election Commission...it is trying to trigger fight between minorities and other OBCs."

Meanwhile, slapped a notice by the Election Commission to explain his remark that if elected to power Congress would provide 9 percent reservation for Muslims in jobs in Uttar Pradesh, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said he was only phrasing what was part of the Congress party's manifesto.

With Muslims forming a major chunk of the vote bank (18.5 percent) in Uttar Pradesh, the political parties are in a battle to woo the community with promises and sops ahead of polls in February and March this year.