Telangana to amend Panchayat Act for 42% BC reservation in local body polls
The governor’s office then forwarded the ordinance and the bills for President’s assent. Since then, the Bills and the Ordinance which seek 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies, are pending with the President.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet has decided to amend the state’s Panchayat Raj Act of 2018 to allow the state to exceed the 50 per cent cap on overall reservations in rural local body polls. The polls are scheduled to be held in September.
Speaking at a media conference after the cabinet meeting held on Saturday BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar said” “The Congress government has been committed to implementing 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs). As the High Court has demanded that the local body election should be held shortly, we have decided to amend the Panchayat Raj Act of 2018 by virtue of a government order”.
In the 2018 Act, BRS government, which was in power in the state from 2014 to 2023, had capped reservation at 50 percent in line with the Supreme Court’s overall cap over reservation. In July this year Revanth Reddy government passed two Bills and issued an Ordinance to breach this ceiling and sent it to the governor of the state.
The governor’s office then forwarded the ordinance and the bills for President’s assent. Since then, the Bills and the Ordinance which seek 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies, are pending with the President.
The decision to implement the reservation through a Government Order has come as a breather for the state’s BC political leaders who have been demanding the 42 percent reservation for BCs in local body polls. The Bills pending with the President also allows 42 percent reservation for BCs in educational institutions and government jobs.
Prabhakar added: “The Congress government has been committed to implementing 42 percent reservation for BCs because we take our social justice commitments rather seriously. In the Kamareddy Declaration of the Congress party we had promised this reservation and we are keen on implementing it”.
Earlier in August, Ponnam Prabhakar and MLAs and MPs of the Congress party had staged a protest in Delhi demanding the Central government to support 42 percent reservation. “We have tried all the ways to implement the reservation,” Prabhakar said.
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In another cabinet decision, former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, who’s been Azharuddin a supporter of BC reservation, was nominated to Telangana’s Legislative Council.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
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A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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