Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has instructed officials to prepare an action plan for increasing the quota of the Backward Classes (BC) in the upcoming local body Panchayat elections. He directed officials to conduct the elections at the earliest, to avoid the delay in the release of central funds to the local bodies as well.
On Monday, Revanth Reddy held a review on the proposal to enhance BC quota in the local body (Gram Panchayat) elections at Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on Monday. The Telangana chief minister asked officials to furnish the details of the implementation of reservation in the Panchayat elections, and also to show the proposal to increase the quota for the same.
According to press release from the chief minister’s office, officials explained to the Telangana chief minister the procedure that was followed in the previous Panchayat elections, and also of the the preparations for the upcoming Panchayat elections.
The Telangana chief minister also inquired about the time needed to complete the already approved caste census, and for conducting the local body elections on the basis of the outcome of the caste census. Officials informed Revanth Reddy that the caste census was conducted in Karnataka in 2015, Bihar in 2023, and that details of the caste census in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh state was not been released yet.
Officials explained that the caste enumeration format adopted by the central government in 2011 has 53 columns, and that it will take at least five and half months to complete the caste census by adding three more columns to it.
Former minister Jana Reddy explained the procedures adopted in the united Andhra Pradesh, and in Telangana, for conducting the gram panchayat elections. Jana Reddy also explained the cases filed in the Supreme Court on BC reservations in the local body elections by various states, judgments and their consequences.
Revanth Reddy said that a timeline needed be prepared for the implementation of reservations in panchayat elections. The officials were asked to consult the experts in the Panchayat Raj Act, to clear the doubts that may arise, and to seek the opinion of the advocate general in case of legal matters.
The chief minister suggested that a study on the implementation of reservations in the local body elections in other states be carried out. He said that he will hold another meeting before the commencement of the budget session, and would take a final decision on increasing the reservation based on the report prepared by the officials.
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