The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) launched a 24-hour dharna on Thursday near Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s official residence in Bhubaneswar, demanding a five-point charter that includes a 27% reservation for candidates belonging to the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in education and government jobs.
The protest, which began at 10 AM and is set to conclude at 10 AM on Friday, saw Congress leaders and workers spending the night at the ‘Satyagraha’ site, waving the party’s flags and raising slogans for social equity.
The Congress’s agitation comes a day after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a similar protest near Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, echoing the demand for SEBC reservations.
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Both parties have accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of failing to address the long-standing aspirations of Odisha’s largest demographic segment, which reportedly constitutes 54% of the state’s population, though concrete data remains elusive.
The Congress’ five-point charter of demands includes not only the 27% reservation for SEBC candidates in government jobs but also quotas in technical education, such as medical and engineering courses, immediate implementation of reservations in Panchayati Raj elections, and extending reservations to the private sector.
On May 20, the state cabinet approved an 11.25% reservation for SEBC students in state-owned and state-funded higher education institutions, a move hailed by the BJP as a step toward championing the OBC cause. However, opposition parties argue that this falls short of the mandated 27% reservation and excludes professional fields like medicine and engineering, where SC/ST students already benefit from quotas.
