Two important Bills regarding reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in West Bengal government jobs were approved by voice vote in the Assembly. This move allows the BJP-led government to replace the OBC list created during the previous TMC regime. The Bills passed are “The West Bengal Backward Classes (Other than SC and ST) Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts (Amendment) Bill, 2026” and “The West Bengal Backward Classes Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026.”
Backward Classes Welfare and Mass Education Extension and Library Services Minister Gouri Shankar Ghosh presented the Bills. During the discussion, BJP lawmakers accused the previous TMC government of bias in the OBC list, alleging that it favored Muslim communities over Hindu communities. The BJP government now has the authority to challenge the inclusion or exclusion of any community in the OBC list.
The Bills empower the state government, in consultation with the Backward Classes Commission, to determine the OBC reservation percentage in government jobs. The total reservation will not exceed 50%, and the government can categorize OBC communities based on their level of backwardness. This legislation reinstates the reservation structure introduced by the Left Front government in 2010, providing 10% reservation for Category A and 7% for Category B communities.
The BJP government has reinstated the original Left Front-era Schedule 1, while removing the TMC-era Schedule 1 and Schedule 3. The percentage of OBC reservation in state government jobs will now be decided by the state government in consultation with the Backward Classes Commission.
