With only 5 days to meet the court deadline, logistics are tight. Monsoon has also delayed voter verification in nearly 200 villages.
Published Sep 26, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Telangana aims to go for 42% quota in local body polls. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: The Telangana government plans to issue a GO raising Backward Classes (BC) reservations in local body polls to 42%, fulfilling a Congress pledge. Facing a September 30 High Court deadline, the move awaits gubernatorial assent. Despite logistical and legal challenges, CM Revanth Reddy is pushing for swift implementation, aiming to balance social justice with electoral strategy.
The Congress-led Telangana government is expected to issue a Government Order (GO) soon, raising reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body polls to 42 percent.
The decision, which is likely to be taken by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, will be a bold political gamble.
The move follows a Telangana High Court directive that mandated the completion of local body elections by September 30, 2025. The order has left the Revanth Reddy government racing against time to balance legal obligations with social justice promises.
The State Election Commission (SEC) is understood to have been informally instructed to gear up for the new quota. Taking the cue, the poll body has already drawn up tentative seat allocations for BCs, Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The schedule will be announced once the GO is issued. Officials say the notification could come any time, following discussions chaired by Revanth Reddy earlier this week.
Sources confirm that the GO will give effect the bill passed by the Assembly on August 31. It was Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill which removed the 50 percent ceiling on reservations in local bodies, bringing them in line with Telangana’s demographic reality.
BCs alone constitute over half the state’s population according to a recent caste survey. But the bill is stuck at Raj Bhavan, awaiting the Governor’s assent.
The 42 percent quota fulfills a key Congress manifesto pledge from the 2023 election. Opposition, including the BRS and BJP, call it opportunism, however, Revanth Reddy has defended the move.
“This isn’t just about quotas. It is about doing justice to the marginalised voices long ignored,” he said at a 20 September strategy meeting in Hyderabad. He was joined by Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and senior ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and D Sridhar Babu.
The meeting also addressed integrating 50 percent women’s reservation across all categories to ensure gender balance. The High Court, in its 26 June ruling, had ordered the government and SEC to complete the elections by September 30.
District collectors have been asked to finalise rosters for panchayats, municipalities, and corporations. The SEC has confirmed that polling staff and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are ready. Elections will begin immediately after the GO is issued, starting with rural bodies like Zilla Parishads (ZPs) and Mandal Praja Parishads (MPPs).
Yet challenges remain. With only five days to meet the court deadline, logistics are tight. Monsoon rains have delayed voter verification in nearly 200 northern villages.
Legal risks also persist. A petition filed to block the 42 percent quota was dismissed by the High Court on September 24, since no GO had been been issued yet. But experts warn fresh petitions may follow once the order comes.. If upheld, the quota will reinforce Congress’s pro-BC image. If struck down, it could damage the party and strengthen BRS and BJP attacks.
At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Patna on 24 September, Revanth Reddy reiterated his commitment to implement 42 percent quota. He is expected to finalise the GO on Thursdya or Friday after consulting ministers on his return.
The ministers in his cabinet have advised him to move quickly. Even if the 30 September deadline is slightly missed, they believe the court may show leniency if the process is underway.
The elections will be held in two phases: In the first phase, it will be for Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) which are about 566, ZP chairpersons (31), Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs- 5,773), and MPP presidents (566). In phase II, the elections will for gram panchayats..
The legal groundwork began earlier this year. On March 18, 2025, the Assembly cleared two major bills:
The bills were sent to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma on 30 March which in turn sent them for presidential assent, and approval is pending. To avoid delay, the cabinet passed an ordinance on July 10 amending the Panchayat Raj Act.
The Governor is yet to give his assent. On 31 August, the Assembly passed the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025, replacing the ordinance. That too awaits gubernatorial clearance.
The Congress government is readying to issue the GO even as legal and procedural hurdles remain.
For Revanth Reddy, it is a calculated risk. Success could cement his pro-BC credentials. Failure could hand ammunition to his rivals. With time running out, Telangana braces for an election that may reshape local governance for years to come.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
