Telangana's Congress government is facing a critical juncture as its decision to implement a 42% quota for Backward Classes (BCs) in the upcoming Panchayat Raj and Urban Local Body elections is challenged in the Supreme Court. This move has ignited a legal and political battle, bringing into question the state's ability to exceed the 50% reservation ceiling mandated by the Supreme Court.
The state government formalized its intent to implement the 42% quota by issuing an election order, prompting the State Election Commission to announce the schedule for local body elections. Voting is scheduled to be conducted in five phases between October 23 and November 8, 2025. However, this decision has faced immediate legal challenges.
Vanga Gopal Reddy, a resident of Kothapally in Rajanna Sircilla district, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of the government order issued on September 26, 2025, which increased the quota for BCs. Reddy argues that the increased quota violates the overall 50% reservation limit, as the existing 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 10% for Scheduled Tribes (STs), when combined with the 42% for BCs, exceeds this limit. He contends that this contravenes Section 285A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which aligns with the Supreme Court's judgment in the K Krishna Murthy vs Union of India case, mandating that reservations in local body elections cannot exceed 50%.
In response to the legal challenge, the Telangana government is preparing to present a robust defense. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy dispatched Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, along with Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar, and Minister for Animal Husbandry Vakiti Srihari to New Delhi to consult with senior advocates. They are scheduled to meet with Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Siddhartha Dave, who are expected to represent Telangana in the Supreme Court and defend the government order issued on September 26, providing the 42% quota to BCs in local bodies.
The state government's legal team will argue that the 42% BC quota adheres to the guidelines set by the Supreme Court. They will emphasize the empirical data obtained from a comprehensive caste survey, the appointment of a dedicated BC commission, the analysis of the caste survey by an expert group, and the passage of two BC quota bills by the assembly. Furthermore, they will highlight that the bills pertaining to the 42% BC quota and the lifting of the 50% cap have been awaiting presidential assent for over five months. The government will also emphasize that the local body elections have already been delayed by nearly two years, depriving them of central funds for development work and that the High Court had set a deadline for conducting the polls before September 30, 2025.
The Supreme Court's decision is poised to have far-reaching implications, not only for Telangana but also for other states facing similar demands to increase reservation quotas. The case raises a fundamental constitutional question of whether states can exceed the 50% reservation cap in local body polls.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) held a strategy session for the upcoming Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election, indicating the party's focus on upcoming electoral contests amidst the quota controversy. The Congress is also preparing to announce its list of ZPTC candidates on October 8th.
The BJP is criticizing the Congress government, alleging that under the guise of a BC Bill, a portion of the quota is being diverted to Muslims, demanding that the full 42% quota be reserved exclusively for Hindu BCs.
As the legal and political battle intensifies, all eyes are on the Supreme Court as it prepares to hear the plea challenging Telangana's enhanced BC quota. The outcome will not only determine the future of reservations in the state but also set a precedent for other states grappling with similar issues.
