Telangana will hold local body polls with 42% BC reservations: Ponnam Prabhakar

Hyderabad: Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Saturday confirmed that the Telangana government will conduct local body elections with a 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs). He said the state is constitutionally bound to implement this quota, based on findings from a caste survey.

Speaking in Hyderabad, the Minister urged critics not to obstruct the policy. “Don’t take away the rights of low-income communities,” he said. He stressed that the decision had full support from all political parties and followed both legal and constitutional procedures.

42% BC quota Telangana policy backed by survey, legislative consensus

Prabhakar said the decision came after a state-wide caste survey under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. A cabinet sub-committee reviewed the findings and proposed the 42% BC quota. The proposal was then passed unanimously in both Houses of the Legislature.

The government forwarded the bill to the Governor, who then sent it to the President of India. Citing a recent court ruling in Tamil Nadu, the Minister said states can implement such quotas while awaiting presidential assent. “We issued GO No. 9 to move forward with the 42% reservation,” he said.

Minister: No one opposed EWS quota, so why object to BC reservations?

The Minister pointed out that no one challenged the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). “The SC and ST quotas remain untouched. EWS remains intact. So why resist the BC quota?” he asked.

Prabhakar said the Congress government is committed to social justice. He declared that elections will take place with the 42% quota in effect. “It’s now the duty of Telangana society to defend this move,” he added.

Ponnam slams BRS record, cites Tamil Nadu legal example

Targeting the BRS, Prabhakar asked how many people actually received double-bedroom houses or three-acre land parcels during its tenure. He reminded voters that BRS leader K. Kavitha once said, “If our house has gold, the whole of Telangana should have gold.”

He concluded by pointing to Tamil Nadu’s legal victory in defending its expanded reservation quota. “They took it to court and succeeded. Telangana will follow the same path. But until then, don’t deny BC communities what they deserve,” he said.