Honouring the promise it made last week, the Gujarat government on Tuesday declared a 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local civic bodies and panchayats.

Senior Minister and State Government Spokesman Rushikesh Patel had last week announced its intention to grant reservations for OBCs in the local civic bodies.

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The reservations hitherto existing for ST (Scheduled Tribes) and SC (Scheduled Castes) would not be altered due to the OBC quota announced today, the Minister said.

The reservation for the OBCs in the local civic bodies was recommended in the report of the Justice (retired) K S Jhaveri commission appointed last year following a series of agitations over the demand during last few years.

Minister Rushikesh Patel said the total reservations for SC, ST and OBCs will remain within the 50 per cent limit as ordained by the Supreme Court in its verdict.

Polls in over 7,000 village panchayats, 75 municipalities, two district panchayats and 18 taluka panchayats were pending over the issue of quotas for OBCs.