Telangana cabinet clears ordinance to breach 50% quota cap for backward classes in local body polls
Hyderabad: The Telangana state cabinet, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, has approved an ordinance to raise the reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections from 29% to 42%, pushing the total quota beyond the 50% ceiling laid down by the Supreme Court.
As reported by The Wire, the government’s decision comes in the backdrop of a 17-month delay in conducting elections to local bodies and the Union government’s prolonged inaction on two Bills passed by the Telangana legislature. These Bills, which propose enhanced BC quotas in education, employment, and local bodies, have been awaiting inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to shield them from judicial review.
Facing a September 30 deadline from the Telangana High Court to conclude local body elections, and with little progress from the Centre, the cabinet has chosen to take the ordinance route. The ordinance will amend Section 285A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which currently caps total reservations at 50%—15% for Scheduled Castes, 6% for Scheduled Tribes, and 29% for BCs.
The Wire reported that Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has prorogued the last session of the state legislature to facilitate the issuance of the ordinance. Once the Governor gives his assent, the ordinance will be promulgated, followed by a government order formally amending the quota cap.
The decision is backed by the findings of a caste survey conducted by the state between November and December 2024, which revealed that BCs constitute 56.3% of Telangana’s population. The combined population of BCs, SCs, and STs stands at 84%, which the Congress government cites to justify a 42% BC quota.
The Congress had promised this hike in its 2023 Kamareddy declaration during the assembly election campaign, inspired by the "jitni abadi, utna haq" slogan promoted by Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Following its victory, the Revanth Reddy-led government conducted the survey and passed the relevant Bills.
To counter anticipated legal challenges, the cabinet has also approved filing a caveat in court. On the advice of Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy, the ordinance will implement reservations using the "mandal" as the unit for gram panchayat and MPTC elections, and the "district" as the unit for ZPTCs and Mandal Parishad President posts.
Elections are now scheduled for 12,777 gram panchayats, 5,982 MPTCs, and 585 ZPTCs. A commission will be set up to finalise seat-wise reservations.
Political reactions have been swift. While Congress workers celebrated at the party office in Hyderabad, BRS leaders criticized the ordinance as insincere and lacking legal soundness. BJP MP R. Krishnaiah, however, welcomed the move and urged citizens not to challenge it in court. BRS MLC K. Kavitha claimed credit for the decision and withdrew a planned protest scheduled for July 17.
As The Wire notes, despite opposition criticism, the Congress government insists the ordinance is a necessary step to fulfill its constitutional and electoral obligations in the face of central delay.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
