CM Revanth to Chair Crucial Meetings on Local Polls and BC Quota Today
Congress weighs 42% BC tickets in local bodies elections; HC deadline adds urgency
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will participate in two crucial meetings of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday, as the party gears up to take decisive steps on holding long-pending local bodies elections and implementing the 42 per cent quota for Backward Classes (BCs) communities.
The TPCC’s political affairs committee (PAC) and the newly constituted advisory committee will convene to deliberate on these issues, which have assumed urgency following a directive from the Telangana High Court.
The PAC, comprising 22 members including AICC Telangana incharge Meenakshi Natarajan, Revanth Reddy, several ministers and senior party leaders, is the top decision-making body of the party. All Cabinet members have been made special invitees.
The advisory committee includes senior leaders such as V. Hanumantha Rao, K. Jana Reddy, K. Keshava Rao, G. Chinna Reddy, J. Geetha Reddy, M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, T. Jagga Reddy, Jaffar Javed, T. Jeevan Reddy, Siricilla Rajaiah and S. Ramulu Naik.
Since the legal route to implement the 42 per cent BC quota is blocked with the bill and Ordinance pending Presidential approval, the ruling Congress is considering an alternative strategy. The party leadership is keen on allocating 42 per cent tickets to BC candidates in local bodies elections to achieve the quota goal indirectly.
The meetings will also decide on the timeline for conducting the elections to gram panchayats, mandal parishads and zilla parishads. Speculation is rife that the elections could be held in September to comply with the September 30 deadline fixed by the High Court.
