West Bengal Assembly to pass Bill for reservation of OBCs, 66 communities to get 7% share in government jobs.

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The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday passed two Ordinances to amend the state’s OBC reservation laws, bringing changes that will affect reservations in jobs and government services. The amendments provide for reservation of seven out of 66 OBCs and reorganize the OBC categories in the state in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Calcutta High Court.The two bills are The West Bengal Backward Classes (Exclusion of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) (Reservation of Places in Jobs and Employment) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and The West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes (Amendment) Bill, 2026.A total of 186 MLAs voted for the bills, while 17 opposed them. Six members did not vote. Before the voting, a section of rebel TMC ministers led by Opposition Leader Ritabrata Banerjee stormed out of the house.While introducing the Bills, Minister for Backward Classes Development Gourishankar Ghosh said that the government is following the orders of the Supreme Court and rejects the political agenda that has changed.“We have removed 113 classes which were previously included without field survey, and kept 66 classes, which were included following various surveys,” Ghosh told the House.He said: “The Backward Class Commission will conduct an investigation and if it feels that it should be included in any area, it can give its opinion on the government’s proposal. The previous government ignored the commission and that is why the Supreme Court canceled the project.”The amendments formally approve the state government’s decision to give seven percent quota to the 66 communities that were included in the OBC list before 2010. They also allow the government, after consultation with the Backward Classes Commission, to decide on the quotas for the various OBC groups. However, the total reserve in the state cannot exceed 50 percent.Under the amended law, the government can classify OBCs into different categories based on their background and educational status. Reservation in civil service and posts will be given separately for each category.The second law amends the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993. It allows citizens to apply for inclusion in the OBC list. The board will review the requests and indicate whether they should be accepted. People can also complain about over-inclusion or non-inclusion of people from any community in the OBC list, and then the government will take action based on the Commission’s recommendations.The changes follow the judgment of the Calcutta High Court in May 2024, which struck down the OBC status granted to 77 other communities, mostly between 2010 and 2012, calling the act unconstitutional.The court canceled nearly 12 lakh OBC certificates issued after 2010 but protected jobs that were previously protected by these certificates. It also said that OBC certificates issued before 2010 will be valid.On May 19, the state government abolished caste classification and established 66 communities that were included in the OBC list before 2010, restoring their eligibility for seven per cent reservation in government jobs. Monday’s bills provide legal support for these elections.