Telangana mulls hike in backward class quota for local body polls

Hyderabad, July (IANS) The Telangana government plans to increase the quota of backward classes in the upcoming local body elections.

Holding a review meeting at the Secretariat on the proposal to enhance BC quota in the local body elections, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday asked the officials to prepare an action plan in this regard.

He asked the officials to furnish the details of the implementation of reservation in the panchayat elections and also the proposal to increase the quota in the upcoming elections.

The officials apprised the Chief Minister the procedure followed in the previous panchayat elections and the preparations being made for the upcoming panchayat elections.

As Revanth Reddy enquired about the requirement of time to complete the already approved caste census and the conduct of local body elections on the basis of the outcome of the caste census, they said that the caste census was already conducted in Karnataka in 2015 and in Bihar in 2023.

The details of the caste census in Andhra Pradesh have not been released yet.

Officials explained that the caste enumeration format adopted by the Central government in 2011 has 53 columns and it will take at least five and half months to complete the caste census by adding three more columns.

The Chief Minister ordered the officials to prepare an action plan to increase BC quota as well as to conduct the elections at the earliest to avoid delay in the release of central funds to the local bodies, as he discussed the issue of increasing reservation elaborately in the meeting.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Rural Development Minister Sitakka, Forest Minister Konda Surekha, Chief Minister's Advisor Vem Narender Reddy and other attended the meeting. Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, CMO Secretary V. Seshadri, Chief Minister's Secretary Dr G. Chandrasekhar Reddy, BC Welfare Department Secretary Burra Venkatesham, Panchayat Raj Department Secretary D.S. Lokesh Kumar, Law Department Secretary Rendla Tirupati and others were also present.

Former minister Jana Reddy explained the procedures adopted in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh and in the Telangana state in the conduct of the Panchayat elections, cases filed in the Supreme Court on BC reservations in the local body elections by various states, judgments and consequences.

In response, Revanth Reddy said that a timeline should be prepared for the implementation of reservations in panchayat elections. The officials have been asked to consult the experts in the Panchayat Raj Act including Jana Reddy and retired department officials to clear the doubts and Advocate General on legal matters.

Ordering a study on the implementation of reservations in the local body elections in other states, the Chief Minister said that he would call another meeting before the commencement of the Budget session of the Assembly and take a final decision on increasing the reservation based on the report prepared by the officials.