Telangana’s 42 per cent BC quota unlikely before polls, Congress may take political route

With the Telangana High Court directing local body polls by September 30 and Presidential assent still pending, the proposed 42 per cent BC quota is unlikely to be implemented. The Congress may still use it as a political card in the election

Hyderabad: The proposed 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies is unlikely to be implemented in the upcoming elections in Telangana.

With uncertainty over the Presidential assent to two pending Bills and the latest directions from the Telangana High Court to hold the elections before September 30, officials have ruled out the possibility of fresh reservations.

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However, a political gamble could see the Congress offering the reservation as a party decision and daring its rival parties to do the same. Given the internal turmoil over caste equations in the Congress, that possibility remains a million-dollar question.

The State Election Commission (SEC) has already wrapped up training for poll staff and is set to complete ward delimitation by the end of June. However, finalising the reservation matrix based on the enhanced BC quota may not be possible before the High Court-mandated deadline of September 30.

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the State government and the SEC to complete the election process within three months. It rejected pleas for additional time, ordering ward divisions to be completed within 30 days and elections held by the end of September.

The SEC informed the court that it could conduct elections within 60 days of the government finalising reservations. However, in the absence of Presidential assent for the two Bills proposing a 42 per cent BC quota, officials are preparing to proceed with the existing reservation categories.

Sources told Telangana Today that the Commission is ready to issue the election notification in two to three weeks if the status quo continues.

The tenure of panchayats expired on January 31, 2024, with elections already delayed by over 18 months. As per the Constitution, elections should be held within six months of a local body’s term ending. Though the Congress government earlier assured polls would be held by February 25, it failed to meet the deadline.

The Congress government passed two Bills in the State Legislative Assembly to increase BC reservations to 42 per cent in education, jobs, and local bodies. But without Presidential assent, their implementation remains stalled.

However, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders have already shifted the onus onto the BJP, demanding speedy clearance of the bills. With time running out, the Congress is likely to resort to a political gambit.

Political observers do not rule out the possibility of the Congress promising BC quota as a party-level commitment in the upcoming local body elections and daring the Opposition to do the same, turning the BC reservations into an election issue.

The BRS, which has been demanding that the Chief Minister lead an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him for Presidential assent, has already warned against holding elections without BC reservations.