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Hyderabad, Nov 16 (IANS) The Telangana Cabinet is likely to take a decision on holding local body elections in its meeting on Monday after the High Court last week directed the state government to announce the election schedule by November 24.
With both the Supreme Court and the High Court striking down the government order providing 42 per cent reservation to backward classes (BCs), the state government will have to conduct local body elections with a cap of 50 per cent on the overall reservation.
The ruling Congress may decide to allocate 42 per cent of tickets in the local body elections to BC.
By striking down the government order for 42 per cent reservation for BC, the courts made it clear that the government can go ahead with holding elections.
BC groups are demanding that the state government should hold local body elections only after getting legal approval for 42 percent reservation.
After the by-election on Jubilee Hills assembly seat, which was won by the Congress, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that the cabinet will take a decision after discussion.
Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao has directed the Panchayat Raj Department to prepare a note on the action to be taken to conduct the elections.
The high court on October 9 stayed the implementation of the government order providing 42 per cent reservation for B.C.
The state government challenged the interim order in the Supreme Court, which refused to interfere with the High Court order.
The courts left the door open to holding local body elections with the existing 50 per cent cap on overall reservation.
The government order had taken the total reservation to 67 per cent, which was more than the 50 per cent limit set by the Supreme Court.
Under the current system, BCs get the benefit of 27 per cent reservation.
Holding local body elections is important for the Congress-led state government as delays in holding elections threaten to derail governance in rural areas due to lack of central funds to local bodies.
The State Election Commission (SEC) had issued notifications for rural local body elections in five phases, but it suspended it after the High Court order quashing the government order on BC reservation.
A government order was issued on September 26 to pave the way for holding local body elections.
On June 25, the Telangana High Court had directed the state government to conduct local body elections within three months.
The High Court had set September 30 as the deadline for holding elections.
The state government issued the government order as two bills passed by the Assembly on August 31 were still awaiting the Governor’s assent.
The Telangana Municipal Corporation (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 were passed to increase BC reservation in local bodies to 42 per cent by removing the 50 per cent cap on quota for all categories.
The issue of BC reservation has been dominating Telangana politics for several months ever since the government decided to increase BC quota in education, jobs and local bodies based on the caste survey report.
This was one of the major promises made by the Congress in the 2023 state assembly elections.
–IANS
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