Section 7 in The Orissa Municipal Corporation Act, 2003
7. Reservation of Seats.
(1)The Government shall, by notification, from time to time, reserve seats for Corporators belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the number of seats so reserved shall bear as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in the Corporation as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the city or of Scheduled Tribes in the city bears to the total population of the city :Provided that where the population of the Scheduled Castes or, as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes in a Corporation area is not sufficient for reservation of any seat, one seat for the Scheduled Castes or, as the case may be, one seat for the Scheduled Tribes shall be reserved in that Corporation area.(2)As nearly as maybe, but not less than one-third of the total number of seats reserved under Sub-section (1) shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or, as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes;Provided that where only two seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes or, as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes one of the two seats shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or, as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes.(3)As nearly as may be but not less than, twenty-seven percentum of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in a Corporation shall also be reserved in favour of backward class of citizens as referred to in clause (6) of Article 243T of the Constitution.(4)As nearly as may be, one-third of the total number of seats reserved under Sub-section (3) shall be reserved for women belonging to the backward class of citizens :Provided that where only two seats are reserved for backward class of citizens one of the two seats shall be reserved for women belonging to the backward class of citizens.(5)As nearly as may be, but not less than one-third (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the backward class of citizens) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in the Corporation shall be reserved for women.(6)The procedure regarding reservation of seats for the purposes of Sub-sections (1), (2), (3) and (4) and allotment of seats by rotation to different wards shall be such as may be prescribed.(7)Where a particular ward is reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or the backward class of citizens or for Women, whether or not belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Backward Class and no eligible candidate is available or comes forward to contest the election in relation to that ward, the Government shall nominate a person who is otherwise eligible to contest such election, as the Corporator for the ward.(8)The reservation of seats under Sub-sections (1) and (2) shall cease to have effect on the expiration of the period specified in Article 334 of the Constitution :Provided that any person elected to any such reserved seat shall continue as a Corporator during the term of office for which he was validly elected, notwithstanding that the reservation of seats has ceased to have effect.(9)Nothing contained in Sub-sections (1) and (2) shall be deemed to prevent the members of the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes for whom seats have been reserved in the Corporation for seeking election from a non-reserved seat in the Corporation.Explanation. - "Scheduled Castes" and "Scheduled Tribes" mean such castes and tribe as are specified by the President under article 341 and article 342, respectively, of the Constitution.
