A fresh wave of anger is sweeping across Telangana’s Backward Class (BC) communities after the state government issued Government Order (GO) 46 on November 22, which capped total reservations in the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections at 50 per cent.
GO 46 replaces GO 9, the order issued earlier this year that had promised 42 pc reservations for BCs in rural local bodies, aligning with the Congress government’s commitment to a demand that has shaped BC politics for over four decades and gained new momentum during the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections.
However, GO 9 was stayed by the Telangana High Court on the grounds that the total quota breached the Supreme Court-mandated 50 pc cap for local-body reservations and that the state had failed to place before the court the full dataset of its caste survey and the Commission report used to justify the 42 pc figure.
Following the new GO, the BC quota fell sharply to 17 pc. Some districts recorded extremely low or zero BC representation in certain mandals, including parts of Bhadradri Kothagudem and Adilabad. This has triggered a major backlash from BC organisations, who argue that using the district as the unit for reservation rotation, rather than the mandal, has severely disadvantaged them and they accuse the government of "betrayal".
Rajya Sabha MP R Krishnaiah, widely regarded as the most prominent BC movement leader in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, has emerged as the face of the agitation. Although elected to the Upper House of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket in 2024, Krishnaiah has repeatedly asserted that he is "not a politician" but a lifelong BC activist.
He, further, alleged that the present administration has "betrayed the BCs" by promising 42 pc and delivering 17 pc. "This is a conspiracy to prevent political power from reaching the BCs. The government showcased 42 pc to make it look attractive and finally delivered just 17 pc. In some districts, BCs have not received a single panchayat sarpanch seat. How is this justice?" he wondered.
He has demanded the immediate withdrawal of GO 46, the restoration of 42 pc reservation for BCs in Gram Panchayat elections, and a fresh, legally sustainable order based on constitutional provisions.
He also called for the public release of the BC Commission’s report used to calculate recommended quotas. Krishnaiah has warned ministers and MLAs that they would face stiff resistance in villages if the government does not correct what he calls a "grave injustice."
He announced a calibrated agitation plan that includes hunger strikes, highway blockades, village-level protests, and legal intervention. Furthermore, the BC leader plans to file petitions in the High Court to challenge both GO 9 and GO 46 on procedural grounds, including the non-publication of the Commission’s empirical data regarding BC population and representation.
Also read: Eight MBBS students booked for ragging in Telangana
Follow us
