MP session to ratify SC, ST legislature quota bill on Jan 16

A special session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly will be held on January 16 to ratify the bill extending reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.

The Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill had already been passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on December 10 and 12, 2019, respectively.

Later, it was sent to all the states for ratification as it requires the consent of at least 50 per cent of state assemblies before implementation.

"The two-day session has been convened on January 16 and 17 to ratify the bill providing quota for SCs and STs in Lok Saba and state assemblies," Madhya Pradesh Assembly principal secretary AP Singh told PTI Tuesday.

He said the bill will be sent to President for his assent for implementation once 50 per cent of state assemblies ratify the legislation.

Out of the total 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in MP, six seats are reserved for candidates belonging to the ST community and 4 seats for Scheduled Caste members.

Similarly, 47 out of the total 230 assembly seats in the state are reserved for ST members and 35 segments for SC members.

The quota was first included for 70 years since the enactment of the Constitution on January 26, 1950. The bill became necessary as the quota period is set to expire on January 25 this year.