Telangana Assembly passes Bills for 42 per cent quota to BCs in local body polls
Hyderabad (PTI): The Telangana Assembly on Sunday passed two Bills to facilitate 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in local body polls by amending the legislation which was passed in 2018.
The government had earlier issued an ordinance to amend the Acts which was sent to the President by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma.
The Assembly passed The Telangana Municipalities (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 and Telangana Panchayat Raj (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 after brief discussion.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy during the debate said as per the Telangana High Court’s order, polls for the local bodies should be held before September 30.
The Congress government is determined to go to the polls only after implementing the 42 per cent quota to BCs, he said.
Reddy held former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for not enhancing the BC quota, as the Panchayat Raj Act 2018 brought during the BRS rule does not permit the increase of quota beyond 50 per cent.
The CM questioned the BRS for not supporting the dharna held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi earlier this month, demanding the union government to approve the BC quota Bills pending before the President of India.
It was a clear sign of the lack of sincerity of BRS in increasing the BC quota, the CM alleged.
The BC quota was approved in the cabinet meeting before adopting a resolution in the Assembly.
"We sent two separate Bills to the Governor to provide a 42 per cent quota in education, empowerment and local bodies. The two Bills have been pending with the President for the last five months," he said, pointing out that some "forces" approached the High Court on local body elections and the court ordered the election before September 30.
The CM said that the government had appointed the Dedication Commission only after examining the legal issues. This entire process of Caste Census started on February 4, 2024 and completed on February 4, 2025.
"We worked diligently to enact a law for the BC quota with a deadline of 365 days," he added.
Telangana Minister Ponnal Prabhakar said the Bills replace the ordinance issued earlier. It is a tradition and procedure to convert the ordinance into a Bill when the House meets.
The Congress had promised before the 2023 assembly polls to increase the BC reservations in local bodies to 42 per cent from 23 per cent, he said.
TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud expressed happiness over the unanimous resolution passed in the Assembly, removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations and providing 42 per cent reservations for BCs. He hoped that society would wholeheartedly welcome these measures taken with the utmost priority by the Telangana government.
The Congress leader thanked the CM and Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka for passing the Bills in the Assembly.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
