Telangana Govt To Fix Local Body Quotas Today
Overall reservation to 67%, BCs to get 42%
Hyderabad:The state government is set to determine reservations for Backward Classes (BCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in local bodies on Tuesday, a move aimed at facilitating the conduct of long-pending local body elections.
As per the decision, reservations will be provided for 67 per cent, comprising 42 per cent for BCs, 15 per cent for SCs and 10 per cent for STs. This exceeds the Supreme Court’s ceiling of 50 per cent, but the Congress-led government has resolved to proceed in line with its electoral promise of granting enhanced 42 per cent representation to BCs in local bodies against the 23 per cent quota given to BCs during previous BRS regime.
The urgency stems from the Telangana High Court’s order on June 25, directing the government to complete the reservation process and conduct elections by September 30. With just a week remaining, the government has decided to finalise the reservation pattern within the deadline, place it before the court, and seek an extension to complete the electoral process.
The government intends to cite delays in obtaining assent from President and Governor for the BC quota Bills, which have been pending at Rashtrapati Bhavan and Raj Bhavan for months, as the main reason for missing the election deadline.
Despite the pending approvals from the President and the Governor, the state government has resolved to go ahead by issuing a GO granting 42 per cent reservation to BCs. However, concerns remain over whether such a move, in violation of the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap, will withstand judicial scrutiny.
Anticipating legal challenges, the government has also prepared a Plan-B. Should the 67 per cent quota face hurdles in court, the government may revert to the earlier formula of 50 per cent overall reservations that was implemented in the 2019 local body polls. Either way, it intends to convey to the court that it is ready to conduct the elections in October.
The Congress had already announced that it will field 42 per cent BC candidates in local bodies polls, if the government fails to secure approval from court for the 42 per cent BC quota.
In line with the government’s directive, district collectors across Telangana held review meetings on Monday with Zilla Parishad CEOs, District Panchayat Officers, Revenue Divisional Officers and Mandal Parishad Development Officers (MPDOs) to complete the reservation process.
The exercise will cover 12,760 gram panchayats with 1,12,534 wards, 565 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and 5,763 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs). Direct elections will be conducted for these positions, while indirect elections will decide the 565 Mandal Parishad President (MPP) and 31 Zilla Parishad Chairperson (ZPC) posts.
The government has also reiterated its commitment to reserving 50 per cent of all positions in local bodies for women. Accordingly, the panchayat raj commissioner has been tasked with finalising ZPC reservations, collectors will handle MPP and ZPTC reservations, RDOs will oversee MPTC and sarpanch positions, while Mandal Revenue Officers will finalise gram panchayat ward-level reservations.
Officials were instructed to retain the reservation pattern of 2019, while enhancing BC quota from 23 per cent to 42 per cent by reducing unreserved seats. This ensures continuity in the SC and ST quotas, while significantly expanding BC representation.
Once the reservation process is finalised, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is expected to convene a Cabinet meeting within three days to decide on the election schedule and draft submissions for the High Court seeking an extension. Sources indicated that the government is keen on issuing the election notification before Dasara on October 2 and complete the electoral exercise within October.
