Telangana's major political parties — Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and Bharatiya Janata Party — have exceeded the state government reservations assigned for the coming Municipal Elections scheduled for February 11th by allocating more than half of their party tickets to members of the Backward Communities (BCs) themselves. This massive push comes despite the legal cap on BC reservations being significantly lower, standing at 28.21 per cent for municipalities and 35.24 pc for municipal corporations.
Data released by the parties show that the ruling Congress leads in this regard, allocating 1,601 tickets (53.69 pc) to BC candidates. The BRS isn't far behind with 1,580 candidates (52.98 pc), while the BJP has fielded 1,493 (50.07 pc).
This flurry of BC representation follows a failed attempt by the Congress government last December to legally increase BC reservation to 42 pc. After that move was struck down by the High Court and subsequently failed to get relief from the Supreme Court, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy promised that the party would guarantee 42 pc representation through voluntary ticket distribution. As it turned out, all parties significantly exceeded even that ambitious target.
Additionally, the stage is now set for a massive contest across the state. The State Election Commission has notified elections for 2,996 wards across 123 urban local bodies. With 14 candidates already elected unopposed, voting will take place in 2,982 wards. Notably, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is not part of this election cycle, as its term wraps up just a day before on February 10.
While doing so, the Chief Electoral Officer of the state has already begun the process of preparation for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In this backdrop, the CEO asked the political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) immediately for every polling station. He underscored that there should be good coordination between the BLAs and local level officials for a snag-free exercise.
Also read: Six Congress leaders join BRS
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