What’s Driving the 42% BC Quota Debate Ahead of Telangana Local Body Elections?

Hyderabad, July 6 (NationPress) In Telangana, all major political factions are competing fiercely to leverage the backward classes (BCs) reservation issue as local body elections approach.

Recently, the High Court instructed the state government to conduct panchayat polls within three months, prompting the ruling Congress and opposition parties, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to intensify their efforts surrounding the BC reservation matter.

Both Congress and BRS are pressuring BJP's state leadership to obtain the Centre's approval for two BC reservation bills that were passed by the state legislature, which propose a 42 per cent reservation for BCs in education, employment, and local governance.

In response, the BJP has countered by stating that the onus to implement BC reservations rests with the state government.

Telangana Jagruthi president and BRS MLC K. Kavitha has called for a 'Rail Roko' on July 17 to urge the BJP to expedite Presidential assent for the BC bills. Furthermore, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has reportedly instructed the Congress government to hold local body elections only after fulfilling the promise of a 42 per cent BC reservation.

Kavitha, the daughter of BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, sought political leverage by sending a letter to Kharge during his visit to Hyderabad on July 4.

In her communication, she urged the Congress chief to postpone local body elections until the promised 42 per cent quota is implemented.

She also questioned the silence of prominent Congress figures, including Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, regarding the BC reservation.

Kavitha further challenged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on why he had not led an all-party delegation to the Centre to advocate for the finalization of the BC reservation matter.

In response, Telangana Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud expressed skepticism about Kavitha's credibility.

"The tone and tenor of the letter seem quite unusual coming from someone who remained silent on the BC quota during her tenure as an MP and MLC while her father served as Chief Minister for nearly a decade," Goud remarked.

Kharge effectively commenced the Congress campaign for the local body polls on July 4 by convening a meeting with the party's village, mandal, and district-level presidents. He pledged to continue advocating for the Centre's acceptance of the 42 per cent BC reservation.

Kavitha also sent a letter to the newly appointed state BJP president, Ramchander Rao, urging him to secure the Centre's approval for the BC reservation bills.

She highlighted the prolonged wait for the bills to receive Presidential approval, emphasizing the lack of progress.

"If the BJP is genuinely committed to the welfare of OBCs, it must act swiftly. It’s Mr. Ramchander Rao's responsibility to ensure the bills are approved by the Centre," she stated.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Rao challenged the Congress to fulfill its promise of a 42 per cent reservation for backward classes ahead of the local body polls if it truly believes in social justice.

Rao raised concerns about the sincerity of the state government in implementing the 42 per cent reservation, citing legal complexities involved.

"The Congress government would have consulted legal experts prior to passing the bills if it were genuinely dedicated to the advancement of BCs," he remarked.

On March 17, the Telangana Assembly unanimously passed two bills aimed at increasing reservations for BCs to 42 per cent in education, employment, and elections for both rural and urban local bodies.

The Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (reservation of seats in educational institutions and of appointments or posts in services under the State) Bill 2025 and The Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill 2025 were adopted by the Assembly.

These bills raised reservations for BCs from the previous 25 per cent in education and employment and 23 per cent in local bodies. This increase was a major commitment made by Congress in the 'BC declaration' during the 2023 Assembly elections.

However, enhancing BC reservations to 42 per cent would exceed the Supreme Court's 50 per cent cap on overall quotas, necessitating Centre's approval for the bills passed by the state Assembly.

On March 17, Revanth Reddy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a meeting along with leaders of all political parties to discuss enhancing reservations for BCs.

The Chief Minister requested an appointment to meet the Prime Minister alongside Congress, BJP, AIMIM, and CPI leaders.

The Congress party has urged state BJP leaders to convince Prime Minister Modi to include the bills passed by the Telangana Assembly into the 9th Schedule of the Constitution of India.

With "no response" from the Centre, the Congress is planning to establish the BC reservation at 42 per cent based on the caste survey by utilizing powers under Article 243D (6) of the Constitution.

The state government is consulting constitutional experts and has sought the opinion of the law department.

Political analysts believe that if Congress enhances the BC quota through its constitutional powers, they will approach the polls claiming credit for the increase in BC reservation.

The BC reservation issue gained prominence following a caste survey conducted by the Congress government, revealing that BCs make up 56.33 per cent of the population (including 10 per cent BC Muslims). Currently, backward groups among Muslims are entitled to 4 per cent reservations in education and employment, categorized as BC (E).

(Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at M.Shafeeq@ians.in)