Hyderabad, Oct 12 (NationPress) The Congress-led government in Telangana appears poised to proceed with local body elections while maintaining the current 50 per cent cap on overall reservations, following an interim stay issued by the Telangana High Court regarding 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) that has halted the electoral process.

On October 9, the High Court suspended the enforcement of the Government Order (GO) that aimed to implement 42 per cent reservation for BCs.

Since the High Court has allowed for the possibility of carrying out local body elections under the existing 50 per cent cap, the government is considering organizing the long-overdue rural body polls.

The previous GO had escalated the total reservation to 67 per cent, surpassing the 50 per cent limit set by the Supreme Court.

Given that the broader debate surrounding the enhancement of BC reservation could be protracted in the legal system, there are indications that the government may proceed with elections under the 50 per cent cap, which includes 27 per cent for BCs.

Conducting local body elections is vital for the Congress government, as the absence of Central funding to local bodies due to the postponement of elections threatens governance in rural regions.

After two days of legal hearings, the High Court placed a stay on the GO until further notice and instructed the State Election Commission (SEC) to halt the electoral process.

The SEC, which had previously issued notifications for rural local body elections in five phases, has paused this process following the court's order.

The High Court will continue hearings on the matter only towards the end of November, as it has granted four weeks for the state government and SEC to submit their responses. Petitioners will have two additional weeks to reply thereafter.

Although the state government could appeal to the Supreme Court, it is unlikely to challenge the stay from the High Court, as doing so could further postpone local body elections.

While adhering to the existing quota, the Congress party is expected to allocate 42 per cent of tickets to BCs to demonstrate its commitment to fulfilling its electoral promises.

The state cabinet is anticipated to deliberate on this issue on October 16 and make a decision regarding the conduct of elections under the current reservation cap.

The GO was issued on September 26 to facilitate local body elections.

The Telangana High Court had, on June 25, mandated that the state government conduct local body elections within three months, setting a September 30 deadline.

The state government issued the GO following the Assembly's passage of two bills on August 31, which are still awaiting the Governor's approval.

The Telangana Municipalities (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025, were designed to raise the BC reservation in local bodies to 42 per cent by eliminating the 50 per cent cap on reservations across all categories.

The topic of BC reservation has been a focal point in Telangana's political landscape for several months, particularly after the government decided to enhance the BC quota in education, employment, and local bodies, based on a caste survey report. This was a key commitment made by the Congress party during the 2023 Assembly elections.

The government also established the dedicated BC Commission, which evaluated the data from the caste survey. It found that BCs remain disadvantaged relative to their population of 56.33 per cent in the state, recommending that at least 42 per cent reservation be provided in political representation, especially in local bodies.

In March, the Assembly had approved two bills to raise BC reservations to 42 per cent in education, employment, and local bodies.

As this would exceed the 50 per cent cap on overall reservations, the Governor referred the bills for the President of India’s approval, which has yet to be granted.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy led a protest by ministers, MPs, and state legislators in Delhi, urging the Centre to approve the two bills.

Meanwhile, a political tug-of-war has erupted in the state following the High Court's stay on the GO and the suspension of the election notification.

The opposition parties, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have criticized the Congress government for its 'negligence' and inability to protect its own GO, while the ruling party has accused them of causing the deadlock.

State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao blamed the government for the stay, alleging that Congress compromised the rights of BCs for political advantage and demanded that the government appeal to the Supreme Court.

“BCs are suffering the consequences of the Congress government's negligence,” he asserted, questioning the government’s 'hasty' issuance of the GO before the constitutionally mandated three-month period for the Governor to act on the Assembly-passed bills.

“There was a lack of thorough consideration, and the Supreme Court's guidelines were overlooked. This indicates Congress's lack of commitment to BC reservation,” he added.

He also claimed that the petitions opposing the 42 per cent reservation were filed by individuals affiliated with Congress, but the party is misleading the public by blaming the BJP for the obstruction.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay accused Congress of attempting to deceive BCs by incorporating Muslims into their quota to feign “BC empowerment.”

He alleged that since taking power, Congress has only manipulated the sentiments of Telangana's people and the Backward communities. “The government failed to back its own order. There was no data, no defense. Only deception. For Congress, Telangana and BCs are merely votes to exploit, not voices to honor,” he stated.

BC advocacy groups have called for a Telangana bandh on October 14 to protest what they describe as the government’s negligence regarding reservation issues.

The leader of the Backward Classes Association, BJP Rajya Sabha MP R. Krishnaiah, has requested support from political parties and caste groups for the bandh. He has also sought the BJP’s backing for the protest.

BRS has accused Congress of staging political theatrics over BC reservation to mislead the BC community. “Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has betrayed BCs with a GO that could not withstand legal scrutiny,” remarked BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao.

He claimed that Congress has used BC reservation as a tactic to delay local body elections, fearing defeat due to strong anti-incumbent sentiments among the populace.

BRS also criticized the BJP for allegedly betraying BCs by allowing bills related to BC reservation to remain pending.

The ruling party has countered the opposition's claims, accusing both the BJP and BRS of obstructing 42 per cent reservation.

BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar questioned the intentions of BRS and BJP, asking why they did not join the case filed in the High Court challenging the BC reservation GO.

He recalled that both BJP and BRS had supported the bills passed in the Assembly and Council. He also questioned their silence regarding the Governor's delay in approving the BC quota bills.

“The Congress party will persist in its legal and political battle until it honors its promise to implement 42 per cent reservation for BCs,” asserted Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka while responding to opposition allegations.

The Deputy Chief Minister accused both BRS and BJP of opposing 42 per cent reservations for BCs. He stated that the BJP-led Centre is stalling the bills, and that the BRS has previously imposed a 50 per cent reservation ceiling.