Hyderabad: The Panchayat Raj officials in Telangana are unsure how to proceed with the pending approval of the ‘Panchayat Raj Act (Amendment) Ordinance – 2018’ for Backward Classes (BC) quotas in local elections. They plan to discuss this with Governor Jishnu Dev Varma.
The Telangana High Court has set a deadline for local body elections, yet the ordinance still awaits the Governor’s approval. This ordinance aims to change Section 285-A of the Act to allow 42% reservations for BCs in local bodies. Officials from the Panchayat Raj department are seeking a meeting with the Governor to present why these increased quotas are necessary. They plan to explain the legal aspects, the historical challenges faced by BC communities, and recommendations from the BC Dedicated Commission. Their goal is to address the Governor’s concerns and demonstrate the state’s efforts, including detailed caste-wise data and protective measures for constitutional compliance.
The Governor has recently sought legal opinions on the ordinance and examined similar reservation implementations in other states. However, no decision has been announced, causing suspense and political speculation.
The state cabinet had previously approved changing Section 285-A, which limits reservations to 50%. To introduce a 42% quota for BCs while staying within the total reservation limit, this section needs amendment.
