Mainstream political parties give priority to BCs in municipal elections in Warangal
With Backward Classes demanding 43 per cent reservation in local bodies, Congress, BRS and BJP have fielded a record number of BC candidates in municipal elections across erstwhile Warangal, signalling a shift towards BC-centric political strategies.
Warangal: Until recently, backward classes (BCs) associations and their leaders used to complain that the major political parties in Telangana looked down upon them and deprived them of opportunities to grow politically.
With the BC outfits raising their voice seeking 43 percent reservation in local bodies’ elections mainstream political parties are chanting the mantra of BC empowerment in the municipal elections in erstwhile Warangal to gain BC votes.
Of the 260 wards in the 12 municipalities of the undivided district 50 seats are reserved for BCs. Going by the quota and taking only Congress, BRS and BJP into consideration BCs supposed to get 150 tickets in Narsampet, Wardhannapet, Parkal, Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Station Ghanpur, Thorrur, Maripeda, Dornakal, Kesamudram and Mahabubabad Municipalities.
But, the three parties together have given tickets to 354 BC candidates. BCs are even fielded in general category tickets. For instance in Dornakal and Maripeda with 15 wards each, no seats are reserved to BCs as per reservation quota, however, BCs are fielded in 14 general seats in both the municipalities.
BRS has fielded as many as 122 BC candidates in all the municipalities while Congress fielded 119 and BJP fielded 113 candidates. This indicates the mainstream political parties have heard the voice of backward classes and do not want to lose the BC vote bank.
Meanwhile, political parties in the erstwhile district of Khammam have also given priority to BC candidates and have fielded BCs in general category seats. In Kothagudem Municipal Corporation, Aswaraopet, Yellandu, Sathupalli, Wyra, Edulapuram, Kallur and Madhira Municipalities as many as 40 seats have been reserved for BCs.
BRS, Congress, BJP, CPI and CPI (M) have fielded around 293 BC candidates in all the above municipal bodies. BRS has fielded 87 BC candidates; the same number of seats has been allotted to BCs by Congress while BJP fielded BCs and CPI fielded 32 BC candidates.
In Kothagudem Municipal Corporation seven divisions have been reserved for BCs. Here, BRS fielded 18 BC candidates in both reserved and general seats while Congress, BJP and CPI fielded 20, 26 and 26 BC candidates respectively.
