Lucknow, May 27 -- The Uttar Pradesh State Local Rural Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission has formally begun its work to determine Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation in panchayat elections, launching a process that will involve extensive surveys and consultations across the state. The commission has been constituted for six months and is tasked with conducting a contemporary and empirical study of backward class representation in rural local bodies. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, commission chairman and retired high court judge Ram Autar Singh said the panel would visit all districts and organise meetings to gather information from public representatives and officials. He said the exercise was aimed at complying with Supreme Court directions requiring empirical data for extending OBC reservation in local body elections. htc...