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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PM Modi holds 14-km roadshow in Varanasi, offers prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple
Varanasi (UP) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Varanasi on Wednesday morning, the second day of his two-day visit, drawing large crowds along the route, party leaders said.
The roadshow commenced from Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) and passed through Lahartara, Kachahri, Ambedkar Chauraha, Chaukaghat, Teliyabag, Lahurabir and Maidagin before culminating at the Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
At the temple, the prime minister offered prayers and performed rituals amid Vedic chants. After completing the prayers, Modi was welcomed by local representatives, who presented him with a trishul, damru and a traditional stole. The prime minister acknowledged the gesture and greeted the gathering.
As he emerged from the temple complex, devotees raised slogans of "Har Har Mahadev", to which Modi responded by waving and folding his hands.
He also briefly interacted with children present at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
BJP media in-charge Arvind Mishra said people in Varanasi were eager to catch a glimpse of the prime minister, with a large number of party workers, office-bearers and local residents lining the entire route.
Devotees and supporters were seen raising slogans such as "Har Har Mahadev" and "Jai Shri Ram" to welcome the prime minister, who greeted them by waving and folding his hands.
Mishra said multiple welcome points had been set up along the route, where party workers and locals welcomed the prime minister with rose petals, drum beats and conch shells.
The roadshow, stretching around 14 kilometres, is being described by party leaders as one of the largest ever in the city.
Heavy crowds were seen on both sides of the roads throughout the route, officials said.
After the visit to Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, the PM is scheduled to inaugurate the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh later on Wednesday.
