Government favours local body polls with a GO on BC reservations

With the High Court deadline of September 30 fast approaching, the Congress government in Telangana is preparing to issue a Government Order (GO) providing 42% reservations in local body polls, a key election promise.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday (September 20) held a strategy meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, senior ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponnam Prabhakar, D. Sridhar Babu, Seethakka, Jupally Krishna Rao and TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, to review the political and legal implications of the decision. Sources said the GO is expected within the week.

The move, however, is likely to face legal scrutiny as it breaches the 50% cap on reservations mandated by the Supreme Court. But the government is determined to go ahead and start the process, and at the same time brace itself for challenges in court.

The Chief Minister had earlier indicated in New Delhi that he wanted to wait for the Centre to clear the pending Bills on reservations. But with no positive signal coming from Delhi and mounting pressure, the State is left with little choice, a senior leader told The Hindu explaining the government’s decision to issue the GO.

Local bodies in Telangana have been functioning without elected representatives for over a year, creating mounting pressure on the government to act. BC organisations, however, are urging the Congress to rely on statutory provisions rather than extend reservations through party tickets.

The Congress finds itself in a delicate position, keen to claim credit for fulfilling its promise, but wary of the political consequences if the policy is struck down. The delay so far is also due to pressure from the party leaders who want to project themselves as pro-BC while pushing away the likely negativity if reservations were not implemented.

Until recently, the government was seen to be on a strong footing in rural areas thanks to schemes like Rythu Bharosa and free fine rice. But the recent urea shortage dented its image among farmers, making the stakes in the local body elections even higher.