Dilemma over conduct Telangana rural local body polls continues as HC stays operation of G.O. 9

Dilemma over the conduct of elections to rural local bodies continues as the Telangana High Court has stayed the operation of Government Order (G.O. Ms. 9) providing for 42% reservation to Backward Classes (BC) in local bodies.

The High Court on Thursday (October 9, 2025) — which heard the arguments on behalf of the petitioners and the Government — stayed the operation of G.O. Ms. 9 bringing the poll preparation to a grinding halt, at least temporarily. The court adjourned the hearing on the petitions challenging the Government’s order and directed the Government to file a counter within four weeks while the petitioners were given time of two weeks — after the Government files its counter — to present their case. This could invariably lead to delay of at least six weeks for the conduct of the elections.

The Government pinned hopes on the High Court’s judgment after the Supreme Court refused to entertain the pleas challenging the 42% reservation to B.C. communities claiming it to be against the Constitution as also against the Apex Court’s earlier judgment capping the overall reservations at 50%.

Notifications for the elections to 292 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) and 2,963 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) spread over 31 districts that are going to polls in the first phase was issued on Thursday. It was preceded by the announcement of the schedule for the polls by the Telangana State Election Commission on September 29 kickstarting the long overdue election process.

The interim stay ordered by the High Court came as a setback to the Government as its hopes of conducting the elections with 42% reservation to BCs were dashed. It has to be seen whether the Government goes ahead with the elections providing the 42% reservations assured to Backward Classes on behalf of the ruling Congress or would wait till the legal issues are resolved.

Meanwhile, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar expressed disappointment over the High Court staying the operation of order providing for 42% reservation to BC communities claiming that the stay was unexpected.

The State Government followed the procedure like conduct of the caste census, constitution of dedicated commission and passage of the Bill enhancing reservations to 42%. The Government amended the Panchayat Raj Act 2018 and sent it for the assent of Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and presented a strong case in favour of the enhanced reservations in the court.

He expressed concern that the State was not receiving Central grants in the absence of elections to local bodies and asserted that the Government would announce its course of action after receiving the copy of the High Court’s interim orders.

Asserting that the Congress was committed for social justice to Backward Classes, he questioned as to why the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not implead into the case. The Congress was prepared to go to polls on the social justice plank under the leadership of senior party leader Rahul Gandhi.