Maharashtra Assembly ratifies 126th Constitution Amendment Bill

After Uttarakhand Assembly, Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday ratified the 126th constitutional amendment passed by Parliament in December 2019.

The Assembly passed the resolution unanimously. The speaker Nana Patole had moved the proposal suo motu, which was supported by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis.

The Uttarakhand Assembly had on Tuesday given assent to 126th Constitution Amendment Bill to extend SC/ST quota, excluding the anglo-Indians, in State Assembly by another 10 years.

The Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill, 2019, was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, on December 9, 2019.

The Bill amends provisions related to reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).The Constitution provides for reservation of seats for SCs and STs and representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination, in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies of states.

This has been provided for a period of 70 years since the enactment of the Constitution and will expire on January 25, 2020.

The Bill seeks to extend the reservation for SCs and STs by another 10 years till January 25, 2030.