Two years of Congress governance marked by political gimmicks over BC reservations
Despite promising 42% reservations for BCs, the Congress government has spent two years issuing conflicting orders, rushing Bills and blaming the Centre, only to admit the quota was legally impossible. With GO 46 reducing BC reservations further, protests have erupted across the State
Hyderabad: After promising the moon to Backward Classes under its Kamareddy Declaration ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress has continued to mislead the community through hollow assurances for the last two years.
What has unfolded since December 2023 is a long chain of diversions, contradictory claims and deliberate political manoeuvres, although the party knew from the beginning that granting 42 per cent BC reservations was beyond its constitutional reach.
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Ahead of the Assembly elections, the Congress promised to increase BC reservations within six months of taking office. It also assured 42 per cent reservations in government civil works and maintenance contracts. These pledges became crucial to its outreach to BC voters, despite the leadership knowing that statutory reservations could not be enhanced by the State without running into constitutional limits.
Despite this, the government pressed on with tactics that appeared more political than sincere. The exercise of constituting a commission for finalising BC reservations, the hurried Bills in the Assembly, the draft ordinance and repeated attempts to shift blame on the Union government only added to the confusion and exposed the government’s wavering commitment.
The promise of party-based reservations, touted as a measure after statutory reservations became impossible, also remain on paper. Even as nominations are being filed for gram panchayat elections, there is no clarity on how BCs are receiving any party-based support, leaving organisations to question why this promise was pushed without a workable plan.
The contradictions widened further when senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, continued to claim during election campaigns in other States that Telangana had implemented 42 per cent reservations for BCs. These statements contrasted with the ground reality in Telangana, where the government itself admitted the legal impossibility of such statutory reservations and struggled to defend its own government orders in the High Court.
Even after the election notification for gram panchayat polls was issued on November 25, the government failed to deliver on its 42 per cent promise, triggering intense backlash from BC organisations that had waited through two years of shifting positions.
The BC Commission move
The task of empirical enquiry into backwardness in local bodies was initially assigned to the Telangana Commission for Backward Classes. A comprehensive caste census was planned from November 6, 2024. This first step faced legal hurdles when the decision was challenged in the High Court. Following court directions, a Dedicated Commission headed by retired IAS officer Busani Venkateswara Rao was constituted on November 4, 2024.
The caste census report, tabled in the Assembly on February 4, 2025, stated that BCs constituted 56.33 per cent of the State’s population. The report immediately attracted criticism. Congress MLC Teenmaar Mallanna called it a fake survey, burnt a copy of the report and questioned the government’s intent. He was suspended from the party on March 1, 2025.
That same month, the Assembly passed two Bills proposing 42 per cent BC reservations in education, jobs and local bodies and sent them for Presidential assent. A draft ordinance followed and was sent to the Governor. These moves did little to address the fundamental legal barriers.
Political blame game
The Congress government launched a three-day protest in New Delhi on August 5, 6 and 7 and accused the Union government of delaying assent. On August 31, 2025, it tabled two more Bills seeking to enhance BC reservations by removing the 50 per cent ceiling. This time, it blamed the previous BRS government for reducing BC quotas to comply with the Supreme Court ceiling.
GO 9 and election notification
With legal challenges mounting, the government issued GO 9 on September 26 to enhance BC reservations to 42 per cent. The State Election Commission issued the local bodies election notification on September 29.
As expected, GO 9 was challenged in the High Court. The court issued an interim stay on October 9, forcing the SEC to keep the notification in abeyance. Individuals also approached the Supreme Court, stating the order violated the 50 per cent ceiling. The Congress government filed a Special Leave Petition but the apex court refused to interfere with the High Court’s stay on October 16.
BC organisations protest
These developments triggered widespread protests by BC organisations across the State. They raised slogans against the government and questioned its sincerity. BC leader R Krishnaiah said, “The BCs are not seeking alms but are demanding their rightful share as per the Congress party’s Jiski Jitni Abadi, uski utni hissedari campaign.”
Controversy surrounding GO 46
Sensing trouble, the Congress government held a Cabinet meeting on November 17 and announced that party-based reservations would be extended to BCs. GO 46 was issued on November 22, outlining guidelines for reservations and submitting revised reservation patterns to the SEC, which were to be as per the existing reservation pattern. However, when officials drew out the final reservation charts, BCs did not get even the 23 per cent that they got during the last local body polls in 2019.
BC organisations again erupted in protest, stating that reservations for BCs had been reduced to 17 per cent. Through selective leaks to the media, the government countered the criticism and admitted that 21.39 per cent was being offered.
BC Commission demands
BC organisations demanded that GO 46 be scrapped and burnt copies of the order. The BC Commission joined the protest, objecting to the process and calling for elections to be put on hold. Members pointed out that BCs received 22.78 per cent reservations in the 2019 elections, while the latest notification offered only 21.39 per cent.
BC Commission chairman G Niranjan, himself a senior Congress leader, said, “As the BCs constitute 56.33 per cent of population, the reservations should have increased, surprisingly it decreased by 1.39 per cent.”
The Commission said there could have been errors in the reservation process and sought a high-level committee to correct them before elections. It also flagged factual mistakes in GO 46. Referring to point number 5, the Commission said the Dedicated Commission was appointed only to determine BC reservations. Yet, GO 46 claimed the Dedicated Commission had recommended the number of reserved seats for SC, ST and BC categories. Niranjan called this misleading and demanded withdrawal of the order.
Two years of shifting stands
As the Congress government completes two years in office, its claim that Telangana is the first State to conduct a caste census is overshadowed by its failure to honour the 42 per cent reservation promise. The prolonged political blame game, the contradictory government orders and the lack of clarity on party-based reservations have left BC communities frustrated.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, now touring districts ahead of the panchayat polls, has remained silent on the issue as nominations for the second phase are being filed. For BC communities, the two-year wait has only reinforced the belief that they were promised what the State could never legally deliver.
Promises vs ground reality
• Congress promised 42 per cent BC reservations despite knowing it lacked legal authority
• The government pushed commissions, Bills, ordinances that could not withstand constitutional scrutiny
• Its promise of party-based reservations remain unimplemented even as nominations begin
• Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy claimed in other States that Telangana has already given 42 per cent BC quota
• Caste census was challenged, criticised and rejected even by a Congress MLC
• GO 9 was issued to raise BC reservations but was immediately stayed by High Court
• Supreme Court refused to intervene, stalling the government’s plans further
• GO 46 reduced BC reservations, sparking protests and criticism from BC organisations
• BC Commission flagged factual errors in GO 46 and demanded the order be withdrawn
• Two years on, BC communities accuse the Congress of deception and unfulfilled promises
