The Telangana High Court has dealt a major setback to Congress leader and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, staying his government’s ambitious order to enhance Backward Classes (BC) reservations to 42 percent ahead of local body elections. The court’s decision casts a shadow not only on the policy but also on the electoral process, which has already begun.
Revanth’s initial celebrations were short-lived. Just 20 hours after an earlier order allowed elections to proceed, the same High Court flagged serious procedural lapses in the government’s haste. The bench observed that the state had not conducted a “scientific survey” to determine the BC population within the one-month timeframe claimed by the government. Consequently, it issued a notice to the Chief Minister, questioning why the administration assumed that BCs constituted 52 percent of the population and held the bill in abeyance for six weeks.
Ironically, the court simultaneously directed the state to conduct long-overdue local body elections, which have been delayed for over two years. The paralysis at the grassroots level had already resulted in governance failures, depriving citizens of essential services and local development initiatives.
Telangana’s local bodies form the backbone of the state’s governance. With 12,769 Gram Panchayats, 129 municipalities, and 13 municipal corporations, these institutions provide representation from village councils to urban centers. The Panchayati Raj system functions at three tiers — Gram Panchayats, Mandal Parishads, and Zilla Parishads — while municipalities and corporations manage urban planning, waste management, and civic services. These bodies are critical for grassroots democracy, and any reservation policy directly impacts local representation and public participation.
Politically, the Congress currently dominates Telangana. In the 2023 Assembly elections, it secured 64 seats, ending nearly a decade of BRS rule, which dropped to 39 seats. Subsequent defections from BRS further consolidated Congress’s position. The BJP, while emerging as a third force, remains unevenly placed, winning eight Assembly seats — a significant improvement from its solitary 2018 seat but still concentrated mainly in the northern districts. Election Commission data shows Congress with 36.9 percent vote share, BRS 34.53 percent, and BJP 21.32 percent.
The 42 percent BC reservation controversy adds another layer to this complex political scenario. Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party’s prominent figure, even hailed the policy as a potential “role model” for social justice. Yet, the High Court’s scrutiny exposes a disconnect between political ambition and constitutional procedure. While state governments have the constitutional authority to enhance reservations beyond the Supreme Court’s 50 percent ceiling in pursuit of social equity, Telangana’s rushed survey and sudden jump from 25 percent to 52 percent raised doubts of political expediency rather than genuine policy planning.
The implications are manifold. For Congress, the move projects a pro-backward, inclusive image and may consolidate rural and semi-urban support. For BRS, it signals the erosion of its traditional OBC and MBC voter base. For BJP, it presents both a challenge and an opportunity to engage backward communities at the grassroots level.
Legally, even if the High Court instructs the government to hold reservations in abeyance, elections can still proceed, leaving Revanth Reddy politically exposed. Opposition parties have seized on the survey’s procedural flaws, alleging that the policy was designed to divide Hindu society along caste lines, and criticizing the encouragement of separate demands from sects such as the Lingayats.
In short, what began as Revanth Reddy’s bold social justice initiative has turned into a political and judicial quagmire, highlighting the fine line between ambitious policymaking and constitutional propriety in Telangana’s fiercely competitive political landscape. (The author is a former Assistant Editor of Deccan Chronicle)
