Telangana Gram Panchayat Polls Get New Reservation Rules

• Telangana Gram Panchayat polls see new reservation criteria
• Government suppresses G.O 42 ahead of panchayat elections

The Telangana Gram Panchayat Polls moved into a crucial phase after the State government announced new reservation guidelines for the upcoming elections. The government stated that the quota for SC, ST and BC communities will not cross the 50 percent cap set by Supreme Court orders. This decision comes at a time when the administration is preparing for large-scale local body elections across the State.

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GOMs 46 was issued on Saturday. The order followed the Dedicated Commission’s report on reservations, which the government received on Thursday. However, the report has not been made public. The new order also suppressed GOMs 42, issued on September 26. That order proposed 42 percent reservations for BCs in the Gram Panchayat Polls and is currently under challenge in the High Court. Therefore, the latest changes carry significant legal and administrative importance as the election process nears.

There are 545 mandals, 12,760 villages and 1,13,534 wards in Telangana. Elections for Ward Members and Sarpanches will take place in direct mode. Reservations will be filled first for STs, then SCs, BCs and women. For Ward Members, SC, ST and BC reservations will be based on the Socio, Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey 2024. Meanwhile, Sarpanch reservations will follow the 2011 census for SC and ST categories and the SEEPC 2024 data for BCs. These criteria mark a shift from earlier methods and add new layers to the electoral framework.

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The government amended the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act 2018 to enable rotation of reserved seats. The upcoming polls will be considered the second ordinary elections. However, Gram Panchayats notified after the 2019 polls will be treated as first ordinary elections. Therefore, earlier reservations for those panchayats will not apply. This change may alter reservation distribution across several villages.

A hearing on the reservation issue is scheduled in the High Court on November 24. The government will finalise its report on reservations after the court hearing and place it before the State Cabinet on November 25. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission held a meeting with district Collectors and senior officials earlier this week. Officials indicated that the election schedule may be issued on November 25 or 26. Polling is likely to be held in three phases and completed before December 20.

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