The GO followed days of intense deliberation within Congress, which had debated whether to proceed or wait for a Supreme Court verdict on the constitutional three-month timeframe for the President and Governor.
Published Sep 26, 2025 | 9:27 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2025 | 9:27 PM
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy
Synopsis: The Telangana government has issued a GO raising Backward Class reservations in local body elections to 42 percent, surpassing the Supreme Court-mandated fifty percent cap on combined quotas for SCs, STs, and BCs. The decision, based on a socio-economic survey estimating the BC population at 55.3 percent, fulfils a key Congress election promise and enables long-delayed local body elections ahead of a High Court-mandated deadline.
The Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana has issued a Government Order (GO) raising reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) to 42 percent in local body elections, breaching the Supreme Court-mandated 50 percent cap on combined quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and BCs.
The GO, issued on Friday, 26 September, by the Backward Classes Welfare Department, said the hike was based on findings of a socio-economic survey conducted earlier this year by the commission, which estimated the BC population at 55.33 percent.
It fulfils a key promise made by the Congress in the Kamareddy Declaration ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections and comes after several attempts by the party to implement the promise through legislation and ordinances failed, with those measures currently stuck in limbo awaiting the governor’s and president’s assent.
The order also paves the way for long-delayed local body elections, with the state facing pressure from BC communities and a looming High Court deadline to hold polls by 30 September.
The GO followed days of intense deliberation within Congress, which had debated whether to proceed or wait for a Supreme Court verdict on the constitutional three-month timeframe for the President and Governor.
The state’s bills enhancing BC quotas to 42 percent in local bodies, jobs, and education are pending before the President. A bill to amend the Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, to remove the 50 percent cap on all reservations is awaiting Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s assent.
The order cites constitutional provisions—Articles 243D(6) and 243T(6)—empowering the state to determine reservations for chairpersons and other leadership positions in local bodies. A commission headed by Justice B Venkateshwara Rao recommended 42 percent reservation, based on survey data and expert consultations.
The GO states that the increase in reservations covers seats in all rural and urban local bodies and takes effect immediately.
Sources close to the Chief Minister’s office said legal advisors urged quick action, citing the Telangana High Court’s June directive mandating polls within three months—a deadline expiring on 30 September.
The State Election Commission (SEC) has called a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, and other senior officials on Saturday, 26 September, to decide the election schedule. The meeting is also expected to determine reservations for women in local bodies.
Elections will be held for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), and Panchayats.
The government recently briefed the SEC orally that the GO would be issued soon and that elections should be ready to start immediately, leaving little time for legal challenges. Officials hope that once the notification is issued, courts will generally not interfere.
The SEC has been preparing contingency plans for weeks, including voter list revisions and security deployments, to ensure a smooth election rollout across all local bodies.
Meanwhile, the GO has thrust Telangana’s major parties—ruling Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—into a high-stakes electoral battle. What would normally be a routine administrative exercise has become a prestige contest.
All three parties have quietly prepared their cadres for snap elections since August. Now, with the GO issued, they are moving into full campaign mode: finalising tickets and planning aggressive social media campaigns.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
