New Delhi:
Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections, where the Congress is trying to woo Muslim voters, the Union Cabinet yesterday cleared a 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities, which comes under the 27 per cent quota reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The sub-quota will include all minorities which are listed as OBCs. The reservation applies to central government jobs and admission to central educational institutions for minorities; sources say it will be notified tonight.
The Congress won 21 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh with the Muslim vote bank being an important factor in their performance. The move for a minority sub-quota can be seen as Congress' attempt to garner more Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh, where it is set to face stiff battle in the upcoming 2012 assembly elections.