(i) The system of reservations, as it is being implemented, needs serious review and revamping to bring it line with the constitutional provisions.
Articles 243D and 243T, relating respectively to the municipalities, clearly state that the number of seats to be reserved in any panchayat/municipal a. should be related to the proportion of SC/ST “in that panchayat/municipal area.” However, almost states have instead taken the state average for SC/ST and reserved that proportion of states/posts on rough-and-ready basis, leading to anomalies like SC/ST chairpersons in panchayats/municipalities what SC/ST representation is small and general category chairpersons in panchayats/municipalities where the SC/ST presence is strong.
This also leads to demands for rotation. Rotation of SC/ST seats is not provided for in the Constitution because the constitutional scheme envisaged reservations not on the basis of the ratio of population in the state but the ratio in each panchayat at that level. States may, therefore, take a fresh look at the system of reservations to bring their respective systems in consonance with the constitutional schema.