Ahead of the November 2023 elections, Congress promised to conduct a caste census and provide 42 percent statutory reservations for BCs. In Telangana, while panchayat elections are non-party, mandal, zilla parishad, and municipal elections will be party-based.
Published Feb 04, 2025 | 9:02 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 05, 2025 | 7:50 PM
Revanth Reddy promises 42% reservation for local body elections, citing delay in constitutional amendment
Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy assured BC leaders that if the constitutional amendment for 42 percent reservations in local bodies faces delays, the party would fulfill the promise independently. This statement came during a special Assembly session discussing the state’s caste census. The Assembly also passed a resolution urging a nationwide caste census, despite BRS’s walkout over discrepancies in BC population data.
As feared by BC leaders, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday, 4 February, stated that if the state government’s efforts to secure a constitutional amendment to provide 42 percent reservations for the BCs in local bodies and urban local bodies hit a roadblock, the party would step in by ensuring the promised quota, even without statutory compulsion.
The chief minister made this promise while intervening in a debate during a special session of the Assembly on a report detailing the findings of the caste census conducted in the state. The Assembly also passed a resolution urging the Centre to conduct a caste census across the state at the end of the debate, even as the BRS staged a walkout for showing BC population less in the caste census.
The Congress, in its Kamareddy BC Declaration, had pledged not only to commission the caste census but also to provide 42 percent statutory reservations for the BCs. This declaration was made by the Congress ahead of the November 2023 Assembly elections.
In Telangana, while panchayat elections are held on a non-party basis, elections for mandal, zilla parishad, municipal, and municipal corporation posts will be conducted on a party basis. These elections are due soon.
The state government also presented a report from the commission that examined the sub-categorisation of SCs. The commission recommended dividing SCs into three groups, recognising 59 sub-castes, and redistributing the 15 percent reservation accordingly among these groups.
During the Assembly session, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing a constitutional amendment for 42 percent reservations in local body elections. He assured that, in the interim, the party would fulfill its promise by ensuring 42 percent of local body seats are reserved for BCs.
The caste census generated significant political heat, with opposition parties accusing the ruling party of under-representing the BC population, while the ruling party claimed it had shown the BC population to be higher than what was being portrayed.
Making a statement on the caste census, Revanth Reddy said that the survey had collected data from 66.39 lakh households in rural areas and 45.15 lakh households in urban areas. It revealed that the number of SCs was 61,84,313 (17.4 percent), STs – 37,05,929 (12.5 percent), Muslim Minorities – 44,57,012 (12.56 percent), and BCs excluding Muslim BCs – 1,64,09,179 (46.2 percent). He said data was collected with a questionnaire on eight documents. As many as 76,000 data entry operators worked for 36 days, the Chief Minister added.
The Chief Minister stated that the data would be used to design welfare policies for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and other weaker sections of the state. He said the caste census is a testament to the government’s commitment to social equality, inclusive development, and data-driven governance. The 2024 survey marked the beginning of a new phase in evidence-based policymaking, ensuring transparency and efficiency in addressing the diverse needs of the Telangana population.
Taking a dig at the BRS and BJP, the chief minister said those who pointed out loopholes in the census were those who did not participate in the survey. He said: “Let me tell you why they did not participate. The questionnaire included details of lands owned by them.”
The chief minister noted that those who did not take part in the survey were former Chief Minister and Gajwel MLA K Chandrasekhar Rao, former ministers KT Rama Rao (Sircilla), T Harish Rao (Siddipet), T Padma Rao (Secunderabad), and D K Aruna (BJP MP from Mahabubnagar).
The Chief Minister criticized KT Rama Rao for citing a survey commissioned by the BRS government to highlight discrepancies in the current census report. He argued that the survey lacked credibility, as it was neither discussed in the cabinet nor presented in the Assembly. It was also not available on the official Telangana government website and could only be found on the MCRHRD Institute’s site, without source references. The Chief Minister clarified, “No caste survey has been conducted since the 2011 general census, and the national census only includes population details for SCs and STs.”
During the debate, the Chief Minister explained that he had presented only a summary of the caste survey, which is divided into four parts. Responding to MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi’s request, he agreed to table the first three parts. “The fourth part relates to individual data. If I reveal it, I would be violating the Data Protection Act,” he said. He also clarified that BC data was categorised into five groups: A, B, C, D, and E.
BJP member Payal Shankar pointed out discrepancies in the caste survey, stating that there were several inconsistencies. Flashing a hard copy of the data from the household survey conducted by the BRS government, he said that the current survey shows the state population was 3.76 crore, while the household survey puts the figure at 4.33 crore.
BRS member Talasani Srinivas Yadav called for reservations in local body elections to be proportional to the BC population in Telangana. He argued that simply sending a resolution on the caste census to the Centre and seeking a constitutional amendment for increased BC reservations would be ineffective. Yadav suggested that the state government pass legislation to increase reservations first, and then forward it to the Centre, believing this approach would give the move greater impact.
Survey Data and Findings
BRS working president KT Rama Rao, incensed by Revanth Reddy’s sharp criticism of the BRS for not participating in the survey, hit back, saying it was because they had no faith in the survey conducted by the government. KTR criticised Revanth Reddy after the latter took a swipe at him, former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and former minister T. Harish Rao for not participating in the survey.
KTR sought to expose the flaws in the census conducted by the state government, saying that in the recent survey, the number of BCs decreased when it should, in fact, have increased. He said that in the survey conducted by the BRS in the past, BCs constituted 51 percent, but in the current survey, they were shown as only 46 percent. Revanth Reddy countered his argument, stating that the 46 percent figure did not include BC Muslims. If the number was added, it would rise to 56 percent, he said.
The recommendations of the commission on SC sub-categorisation tabled in the Assembly
MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, speaking at length on the caste census, urged the chief minister to table a report with all details, even if it was not possible for him to table all the four volumes. He emphasised that members had the right to know the population percentage of each caste in the state.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
