BC Candidates Win Half of General Seats in Panchayat Polls

Hyderabad: The recently-concluded gram panchayat elections in Telangana have thrown up a politically significant trend, with candidates from the Backward Classes (BC) community winning 52 per cent of general seats despite the non-implementation of the proposed 42 per cent reservation owing to legal hurdles. Election data shows that BC candidates won a majority of the general category seats and a substantial share of the overall positions.

Out of 12,733 gram panchayats that went to polls across the state, 2,275 seats were reserved for BCs, while reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were allocated in proportion to their population.

After accounting for all reserved categories, 5,190 seats were left under the general category. Of this, BC candidates secured victory in 2,738 seats, translating into 52.75 per cent, a figure well above the proposed 42 per cent quota.

In addition to the seats reserved for them, the tally of BC community candidates went to 5,013 gram panchayat positions, or 39.51 per cent of the total seats statewide.

The overall percentage is influenced by agency and tribal-dominated districts where reservations overwhelmingly favour Scheduled Tribescommunity. In Bhadradri Kothagudem district, which has extensive agency areas, none of the 471 gram panchayat seats were reserved for BCs. Of the nine general seats, BC candidates managed won three, resulting in a marginal share of 0.63 per cent in the district.

When such tribal districts are excluded from the analysis, the BC representation rose sharply to 45.25 per cent, exceeding the 42 per cent benchmark.

District-wise trends further highlight the scale of the BC surge. Peddapalli district recorded the highest share, with BC candidates winning 63 per cent of the seats. Gadwal followed with 58.43, Jagtial 58.18; Siddipet 56.29; Narayanpet 54.77; Karimnagar with 54.74 per cent seats.

In contrast, Mahbubabad saw BC candidates winning 10.6 per cent of the seats. Overall, BC candidates crossed the 45 per cent mark in 18 districts and exceeded 50 per cent in 10 districts.

A striking example of BC community dominance was witnessed in the Kukunoorpally mandal of Siddipet district. Of the 14 gram panchayats in the mandal, seven were in the general category, four reserved for BCs and three for SCs.

The BC candidates won all seven general seats and all four BC-reserved seats, in addition to winning reserved positions, resulting in the election of 11 BC Sarpanches. Not a single sarpanch post went to candidates from the open category in the mandal.

Welcoming the outcome, Telangana Backward Classes Commission chairman G. Niranjan, along with members Rapolu Jayaprakash, Tirumalagiri Surender and Balalakshmi Rangu, on Friday expressed satisfaction over what they described as a clear mandate from the electorate.

The commission said the results demonstrated rising political awareness among BC communities and urged those opposing 42 per cent reservations to recognise this ground reality. It called upon the state government to ensure that BC reservations in forthcoming ZPTC and MPTC elections are not diluted below 42 per cent.

It also urged the government to take the election data to the notice of the Central government, press for inclusion of the reservation issue in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, and challenge the Supreme Court’s ‘Krishnamurthy’ judgment by seeking a review before a larger Constitution Bench.