A protest committee in Hunsur has called for a bandh on October 23 against the draft reservation proposal for six Zilla Panchayat constituencies in the Assembly segment, alleging that the Scheduled Caste community has not been given representation in the draft released for 2026.
Devaraj Odayar, president of the Zilla Panchayat Reservation Struggle Committee, announced the bandh at a press conference. He said Scheduled Caste voters and members of other backward communities would join the protest against what the committee described as the denial of political representation to Dalits in the Hunsur Assembly constituency.
According to Odayar, Hunsur taluk has about 54,000 voters from the Dalit community. He said the community had been provided reservation in at least one of the six Zilla Panchayat constituencies in the constituency until 2016, but the 2026 draft proposal does not reserve any of the seats for Scheduled Caste candidates.
The committee alleged that the draft ignored the principle of social justice. It also claimed that Scheduled Caste communities should receive 15% reservation, Scheduled Tribes 7% and Other Backward Classes 32% in Zilla Panchayat constituencies. Odayar alleged that the Election Commission had acted beyond the legal framework and yielded to politically influential groups, thereby affecting the political rights of Dalit voters in Hunsur.
The report does not establish whether the draft reservation proposal has been finalised or whether the objections raised by the committee have been formally examined by the authorities. It states that the proposal for reservation in Mysuru district’s Zilla Panchayat constituencies was recommended by the deputy commissioner and submitted to the state government. The committee alleged that political influence had affected the reservation proposal at this stage.
The controversy highlights the administrative importance of draft reservation notifications in local-body elections. Such proposals determine which constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other categories, and therefore directly shape who can contest from those constituencies. Any change between the draft and final notification would depend on the statutory process followed by the relevant authorities and the handling of objections.
Odayar also warned that the issue could influence future electoral politics in Hunsur. He said a politician who ignored the Dalit community would face consequences in the 2029 Assembly election, and claimed that Dalit voters could unite behind alternative political formations. These were political assertions made at the press conference and do not represent an official assessment of electoral outcomes.
Dalit Sangharsha Samiti leader Ningರಾಜ Malladi said political parties should provide opportunities for Dalit candidates to contest from general constituencies if they genuinely intended to advance social justice. Intuc representatives Raju and Satyappa also spoke at the meeting. Dalit leaders D Kumar and Honnappa, along with Bovi community representative Chinnaveerayya, were present.
The next immediate development is the proposed bandh on October 23. The status of the draft reservation proposal, the government’s response to the committee’s allegations and any changes before the final notification remain to be established.
