The Telangana cabinet’s decision to implement 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in the upcoming local body elections is being hailed as yet another strategic masterstroke by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
The Congress-led Revanth Reddy government has already earned political points over the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by initiating a caste census, forming a dedicated commission on BC reservations, and passing legislation to increase BC quotas in education, employment, and local governance.
Now, the state government has taken a further step by deciding to issue an ordinance to provide 42% reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies, fulfilling a key election promise made by the Congress.
While the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, will eventually be amended to reflect this change, the ordinance will serve as an interim measure. The formal amendment is expected to be taken up in the upcoming assembly sessions.
Although the BRS has not officially responded to the cabinet’s move, party MLC and Telangana Jagruthi founder K Kavitha, who has recently championed BC rights, was quick to claim credit for the decision.
Following the cabinet announcement, Kavitha and Telangana Jagruthi activists celebrated by bursting crackers and distributing sweets at her residence on Thursday night.
She described the decision as a victory for Telangana Jagruthi, the United Progressive Front (UPF), and the BC community at large.
Kavitha said the Revanth Reddy-led government had finally bowed to the sustained pressure and demands raised through public agitations advocating 42% reservations for BCs.
She noted that they had earlier warned that local body elections would not be allowed unless this demand was met.
She also highlighted that Telangana Jagruthi had planned a Rail Roko protest on July 17 to press for the demand and had taken the issue to Delhi, staging demonstrations to insist that local elections be withheld unless the 42% quota for BCs was implemented.
