Low quota for BCs in panchayat reservations triggers protests across erstwhile Adilabad district

BC aspirants across the erstwhile Adilabad district staged protests after the new gram panchayat reservation list allotted fewer seats to the community compared to 2019. Several mandals in non-Scheduled Areas received no BC reservations, intensifying local discontent

Adilabad: Protests continued across several parts of the erstwhile Adilabad district on Monday, with aspirants from Backward Communities (BC) expressing anger over fewer gram panchayats being reserved for the community compared to the 2019 local body elections.

Officials from the Panchayat Department said that 138 panchayats had been earmarked for BCs out of the total 1,513 rural local bodies in the composite Adilabad district, accounting for nearly 10 percent. The reservations were fixed based on recommendations of the BC dedicated committee, the 2011 census, and the rotation system.

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While 50 percent of panchayats were reserved for women, all panchayats in Scheduled Areas were allotted to STs. However, not a single panchayat in certain mandals located in non-Scheduled Areas was reserved for BCs, causing widespread resentment. The low quota disappointed aspirants from BC communities across Adilabad, Mancherial, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, and Nirmal districts.

In Adilabad district, only 21 panchayats were reserved for BCs out of 473. In Nirmal district, 72 villages were allotted to BCs out of 400. A total of 23 panchayats were earmarked for BCs out of 306 villages in Mancherial district, while Kumram Bheem Asifabad district saw 20 panchayats reserved out of 335.

No reservation for BCs was provided in Bazarhathnoor, Mavala, Neradigonda, Sathnala, Sonala, and Sirikonda mandals of Adilabad district. Jainoor, Bejjur, Kerameri, Lingapur, Sirpur (U), and Tiryani mandals of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district also failed to get a single BC reservation. BCs received no reservation in Bheemaram, Kasipet, Kotapalli, Mandamarri, and Nennal mandals of Mancherial district.

Aggrieved aspirants staged a rasta-roko at Jannaram mandal centre in Mancherial district, demanding an enhancement in quota for BCs. BJP district president N Venkatesh Goud submitted a representation to Collector Kumar Deepak expressing displeasure over the poor allocation of villages for BCs.

In Adilabad, residents of Mukhra (K) village under Echoda mandal submitted a representation to RDO Shyamala Devi, urging revision of the reservations. They also held a protest over the allocation pattern.

Adilabad

Total GPs: 473

GPs reserved to BC Woman: 09

GPs reserved to BC General: 14

Total GPs for BCs: 23

Mancherial

Total GPs:

GPs reserved to BC Woman: 10

GPs reserved to BC General: 13

Total GPs for BCs: 23

Nirmal

Total GPs: 400

GPs reserved to BC Woman: 31

GPs reserved to BC General: 41

Total GPs for BCs: 72

Kumram Bheem Asifabad

Total GPs: 335

GPs reserved to BC Woman: 7

GPs reserved to BC General: 17

Total GPs for BCs: 20