Telangana District Collectors Submit Local Bodies Polls Quota Matrix to Govt
State likely to issue GO to implement local quota shortly
Hyderabad: District collectors on Tuesday submitted the reservation matrix for local body elections in sealed covers to the state government, earmarking 42 per cent quota for Backward Classes (BCs). Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao received the reports, with officials noting that the details will remain confidential until the government issues a formal order.
The BC welfare department is expected to release the first Government Order (GO) within two days, implementing the 42 per cent quota for BCs in local bodies. This will be followed by a second GO from the panchayat raj department ratifying the complete reservation structure — 42 per cent for BCs, 15 per cent for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 10 per cent for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
These orders will clear the way for the Telangana State Election Commission to announce the schedule, with the government keen to ensure notification is issued before September 30 for polls in October.
Following state directives, collectors, Zilla Parishad CEOs, district panchayat officers, RDOs and MPDOs carried out a detailed exercise across 12,760 gram panchayats (1,12,534 wards), 565 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and 5,763 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs). Direct elections will be held for these posts, while 565 Mandal Parishad Presidents (MPPs) and 31 Zilla Parishad chairpersons (ZPCs) will be chosen indirectly.
Officials pointed out that the new 42 per cent quota nearly doubles BC representation compared with the 2019 polls under the BRS regime, when they secured only 23 per cent. The move, however, reduces unreserved seats to 33 per cent, pushing overall reservations to 67 per cent — well beyond the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent ceiling, raising the possibility of legal challenges.
Sources said 5,359 of 12,760 sarpanch posts, 2,421 of 5,765 MPTC posts, 237 ZPTC seats, 237 MPP posts and 13 of 31 ZP chairperson posts have been earmarked for BCs. In 2019, BCs secured 2,345 sarpanch posts, 1,011 MPTCs, 90 ZPTCs, 95 MPPs and six ZPCs.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is expected to meet ministers and officials from the BC Welfare and Panchayat Raj departments shortly to review the collectors’ reports and grant formal approval, after which district-wise reservation details will be released.
