Telangana Fights for 42% BC Reservation in Supreme Court as Local Body Elections Approach

Hyderabad:

Telangana's Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, state Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud, and minister Ponnam Prabhakar are scheduled to visit New Delhi to consult with the state's legal representation at the Supreme Court regarding a petition challenging the increased Backward Classes quota.

This visit aims to solidify the strategy for Telangana's legal defense of its 42 percent reservation policy for Backward Classes in forthcoming local body elections.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with his cabinet colleagues, PCC chief, and AICC In-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, has firmly backed the implementation of the 42 percent quota, a stance that has caused delays in the local body election schedule.

The government has already issued an official order implementing the 42 percent reservation, following which the election commission announced the schedule for local body polls.

According to the Telangana State Election Commission's announcement, Rural Local Bodies elections will be conducted in five phases between October 23 and November 8, 2025.

However, an affidavit has been filed in the Supreme Court contesting the increased reservation percentage. To counter this legal challenge effectively, the state government is preparing a robust legal argument.

The delegation led by the Deputy Chief Minister will seek counsel from top legal experts in Delhi to ensure the government's position on BC reservation is effectively presented before the Supreme Court.

Telangana has been embroiled in a prolonged legal and political struggle regarding reservation for Backward Classes in Panchayat Raj and Urban Local Body elections.

Previously, BC reservation in local elections was restricted to 50 percent as per court-mandated ceilings, which typically require that total reservations for SCs, STs, and BCs combined should not exceed 50 percent.

The Congress government in Telangana remains committed to implementing the enhanced 42 percent quota specifically for Backward Classes.

By issuing the election order, the government has formalized its intention to implement the 42 percent quota, prompting the State Election Commission to announce the election schedule.

The Supreme Court has previously intervened in reservation-related matters, consistently emphasizing that the 50 percent ceiling should be maintained. The recently filed affidavit challenges Telangana government's 42 percent BC quota on grounds that it violates the overall 50 percent reservation limit established by judicial precedent.