The state's reservation quota has undergone some major modifications, including the removal of the 4% allotment for Muslims, under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ahead of the crucial Karnataka Assembly elections.
The Karnataka government raised the reservation quota from 50% to 56% in a cabinet meeting that took place earlier on Friday.
Also, the administration has decided to eliminate the 4% OBC reservation for Muslims. They will now fall under the 10% Economically Weaker Segment (EWS) classification. Muslims will now have to compete with the EWS quota, which includes Brahmins, Vysyas, Mudaliyars, Jains, and others, as a result of the most recent reorganization.
After the Cabinet meeting, CM Bommai told reporters that the religious minorities quota would be eliminated and added unconditionally to the EWS group's 10 percent pool.
The 10% EWS quota is allotted by the federal government. However, the government has determined that the 4% Muslim quota will now go to Vokkaligas (2% of the population) and Lingayats (2% of the population), for whom two new reservation categories—2C and 2D—were established during the Belagavi Assembly Session last year.
The Karnataka government has also increased reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) from 3 to 7 percent and 15 to 17 percent, respectively.
"The 4% (reserve for minorities) will be split between 2C and 2D in equal portions. The Vokkaligas and others' 4% reserve will increase to 6%, and Veerashaiva Panchamasali and others (Lingayats), who previously had a 5% reservation, would now receive a 7% reservation "declared the chief minister.
