The West Bengal government passed two bills amending reservation laws on Monday, prompting a rare moment of camaraderie between the rival Trinamool Congress factions. The OBC quota has been revised from 17% to 7% while reservation will now be given to 66 classes under this category. The changes come mere days after the BJP government cut the allocation of funds to the minority department by 62% for FY27.

“We have removed 113 classes included earlier without conducting any field survey, and retained 66 sub-classes, which were included following various surveys. The Backwards Classes Commission will conduct inquiries, and if it feels any community should be included, it can make recommendations for state government’s consideration,” said state minister Gourishankar Ghosh.

The BJP leader also accused the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of “bypassing the commission”. The Backward Classes Development minister added that this was why “the High Court struck down the process”.

What are the changes?

The West Bengal Assembly passed two bills on Monday to amend laws enacted by the previous TMC government. 

  • The West Bengal Backward Classes (Other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) (Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts) (Amendment) Bill, 2026
  • The West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Ghosh explained that it would reorganise the OBC categories in the state as per directions issued by the Calcutta High Court. The newly passed Bills exclude 113 communities from the list, with Ghosh telling ANI that these groups had been “added in an inappropriate way” by the TMC.

The earlier regulation had allocated 10% reservation under the ‘more backward’ Category A and 7% reservation under the ‘backward’ Category B. The newly elected BJP government had discontinued religion-based categorisation schemes soon after taking over in May. 

The category system has been discontinued in favour of a single OBC grouping, and the percentage of the reservation quota has been reduced from 17% to 7%. The BJP also regularised 66 communities included in the state OBC reservation list before 2010. 

High Court verdict cancels 12 lakh OBC certificates

The BJP government has cited a May 2024 verdict from the Calcutta HC to back its decision. The court had struck down the OBC status and certificates issued to 77 additional communities, primarily added between 2010 and 2012, and declared the inclusions illegal and unconstitutional. The court had ruled that certificates issued before 2010 remain valid. 

The verdict reportedly cancelled around 12 lakh OBC certificates issued after 2010. But it protected the positions of individuals who had already secured employment through the quota. 

West Bengal minority budget cut by 62%

The state government has also slashed fund allocations to the minority department by 62% in FY27. The decision came last week, nearly a month after the Suvendu Adhikari-led administration scrapped its predecessor’s decision to include several Muslim communities in the OBC list.

The Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department was allocated Rs 2,175.43 crore during the state Budget presented on Monday. Its outlay has decreased sharply from the Rs 5,713.61 crore allocated in the FY27 Interim Budget that was presented in February ahead of Assembly polls.

State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta had countered allegations that minorities were being neglected in budget allocation. He told Assembly members that the earlier government had only incurred an expenditure of Rs 2850 crore after allocating Rs 5600 crore in FY26 for the minority and Madrasa department. 

Dasgupta insisted that the current BJP government believed equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of religion or community. He also said that development projects and public infrastructure created by the state are meant for all Indians and rejected suggestions of discrimination in delivering government services.