Hon’ble Mrs. Sangeeta Chandra, J.—The dispute in this bunch of writ petitions relates to validity of the notification issued by the Election Commission of India-respondent No. 2 dated 13th January, 2014 and the Press Note dated 4th January, 2017 with regard to the reservation of Assembly Constituency No. 402 Obra and Assembly Constituency No. 403 Dudhi, both in District Sonbhadra for Scheduled Tribes and a prayer has been made for issuance of a mandamus to treat the aforesaid seats as before the notification dated 13th January, 2014 with Obra as unreserved and Dudhi as reserved for Scheduled Castes only. The petitioners allege that they are engaged in active politics and were thinking of contesting the election from these Assembly Constituencies so announced for Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on 4th January, 2017, but due to the declaration of these two constituencies as reserved for Scheduled Tribes, their nominations for election shall not be entertained and they will be illegally and arbitrarily deprived of exercise of their statutory right for contesting the elections under the Representation of People Act, 1950.

1. The writ petitions have been opposed by respondents and pr