BC Quota In Local Bodies: State Cabinet To Decide Future Course Of Action On Nov.7

Hyderabad: With the Telangana High Court setting November 24 as the deadline for the government to take a decision on the local body elections, the Cabinet will meet on Friday to decide its future course of action. The meeting is expected to focus on resolving the legal and procedural hurdles surrounding the Backward Classes (BC) community reservation issue that has stalled the polls for months.

Official sources indicated that the Cabinet is likely to approve holding the elections under the old reservation system, which ensures a 50 per cent overall quota, instead of the 42 per cent quota for the BC community introduced through GO 9 on September 30. The GO had raised the total reservations to 67 per cent, allocating another 15 per cent for the Scheduled Castes and 10 per cent for the Scheduled Tribes communities. Several petitions were filed in the High Court challenging the GO on the grounds that reservations should not exceed 50 per cent.

The High Court stayed the GO in October, prompting the government to approach the Supreme Court. The apex court declined to intervene and advised the government to pursue the matter before the High Court. Following this, the Congress government reportedly concluded that it would not be feasible to hold local body elections with a 42 per cent BC quota, given the legal constraints.

To avoid further delay, the government is likely to revert to the earlier system, limiting BC reservations to 25 per cent within the permissible 50 per cent ceiling. At the same time, the ruling Congress is considering an alternative political strategy by fielding 50 per cent BC candidates in the upcoming elections to offset the reduction in quota and maintain representation.