Latest news with #TelanganaPanchayatRajAct
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana set to scrap 2-child norm ahead of panchayat polls
1 2 Hyderabad: In a move that could significantly alter the rural political landscape ahead of gram panchayat elections, the Congress govt is preparing to scrap the decades-old two-child norm that bars candidates with more than two children from contesting local body polls. Sources close to chief minister A Revanth Reddy confirmed that the proposal to delete section 21(3) of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, will be placed before the cabinet at its next meeting. Ministers have already expressed unanimous support for lifting the restriction, which was introduced in 1994 during the united Andhra Pradesh era. The govt believes the change is urgent, especially in light of its plan to provide 42% reservations to Backward Classes in local body elections. "Removing the norm will give political parties greater choice in selecting candidates not only from BCs but from other communities as well," a senior official explained. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The move comes amid concerns that states which effectively curbed population growth—often through measures like the two-child norm—could lose political clout and central funds once the delimitation freeze ends in 2026. Several states have already removed similar restrictions, including Andhra Pradesh, which passed legislation to that effect last year. Telangana's cabinet will decide whether to introduce the change through an ordinance or a bill in the upcoming monsoon session of the assembly. The Telangana high court had earlier upheld the two-child clause, stating it was for the govt to decide its removal. Petitioners argued the rule discriminated against rural candidates, as it had already been scrapped for urban municipal elections. State govt adviser on SC, ST, BC, and minority affairs, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, said the norm was outdated. "Even China is encouraging people to have more children. Telangana too should remove it for the upcoming panchayat polls," he said. The move reflects a growing nationwide trend to scrap the two-child norm, driven by concerns over an ageing population and the pressing need to encourage a younger generation, he added. If the BC quota is implemented, parties will need nearly 50,000 BC candidates to contest in about 12,800 gram panchayats, plus over 1.13 lakh ward posts. The Telangana State Election Commission is already preparing electoral rolls to hold polls before Sept 30, as directed by the high court. Amid concerns over a declining population and its long-term impact on the workforce, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged people to consider having more children. Citing global examples and the need to sustain demographic balance, he said a shrinking younger population could hurt economic growth and social stability, and stressed that families should rethink limiting themselves to just one or two children. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Congress to proceed with local body polls after August 15
HYDERABAD: Fresh off its three-day protest in New Delhi over enhanced reservations for Backward Classes (BCs), the ruling Congress has decided to go for the much-awaited local body elections in the state, insiders insist. Sources said the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) is likely to convene a Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting on August 13 or 14 to review the party's protest in Delhi, counter-strategies of the BRS and BJP, and preparations for the polls to elect sarpanches, MPTCs and ZPTCs across the state. The meeting date is expected to be finalised on Monday or Tuesday. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, along with his Cabinet colleagues, MPs, MLCs and senior Congress leaders, staged protests in the national capital demanding that the Union government pass a bill sent by the Telangana Assembly and an Ordinance seeking to raise BC reservations to 42% as well as amend the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act to remove the 50% cap. The government is likely to notify local body polls after August 15 or 18. The State Election Commission has reportedly completed arrangements to conduct elections for MPTC and ZPTC positions. Existing reservation patterns are expected to continue, with district election officers (usually collectors) tasked with finalising reservations at the village and mandal levels. Although legislative attempts to mandate 42% BC reservations were not successful, Congress plans to implement this informally. The party also intends to challenge the BJP and BRS to adopt similar BC quotas while distributing tickets. BJP state president N Ramchander Rao has indicated that the party is open to allotting a large share of seats to BC candidates. BRS leaders have suggested, without formal confirmation, that they may field more BC candidates than the Congress.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Analysis: More Political Optics In Revanth Reddy's Delhi Dharna?
The dharna at Jantar Mantar today is meant to create the political optics of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Congress party as champions of reservation for the backward classes, attempting to put the BJP-led central government on the defensive. On the face of it, the strategy is to pressurise the central government and President Droupadi Murmu to grant assent to two Bills passed by the Telangana State Assembly in March. These bills aim to increase reservations for Backward Classes to 42% in education and employment, and also in local bodies. A related ordinance to remove the 50% cap on reservations under the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act is also awaiting approval. Revanth Reddy and a delegation led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also plan to personally submit representations to the President. The dharna is part of a larger effort to deliver on a key poll promise made by the Congress party in Telangana, famous as the Kamareddy Declaration. The government has already conducted a caste survey, also called SEEEPC, Socio Economic Education Employment Political Caste survey, and based on its findings, approved the 42% quota. The protest is a way to demonstrate the government's commitment to social justice and the BC community. Revanth Reddy wants to showcase Telangana as a model to the rest of the country, pointing out that the state government got not just the survey done, but got it approved by the cabinet, and quickly moved the Bills in the assembly, got the governor's assent, and sent it to Delhi. The issue is time-sensitive. The Telangana High Court has directed the state to complete the process for local body elections by September 30. The Congress government is under pressure to get the quota policy approved and in place before these polls. The dharna serves to highlight the urgency of the situation. Politically, the dharna is a strategic move to blame the BJP-led central government for the delay in approving the Bills. Revanth Reddy has accused the Centre of deliberately stalling the process. This helps shift responsibility away from the state government and rally public support. The protest, with huge numbers of Congress leaders and cadre mobilised to travel to Delhi, showcases Revanth Reddy's leadership and commitment to the cause. That Revanth Reddy leads from the front and is not facing any political rebellion, at least on the face of it, in Telangana. It also positions the Congress party's nationwide stance on reservations and social justice as a party that travels the long road from promise to fulfilment The protest has drawn support from various groups, including the INDIA bloc parties and a major union of Telangana government employees. This helps build a broader coalition and puts more pressure on the central government. The BJP has called the protest a political drama and has raised concerns about 10% of the 42% quota being allocated to Muslims. By taking the issue to Delhi and garnering support, the Congress is attempting to counter these criticisms and frame the opposition as being against BC reservations. The BRS has criticised the Congress government for not tabling the entire caste survey report as a public document in the assembly. It says the Congress has taken half-hearted measures instead of taking robust legal action like Tamil Nadu did, to take reservations beyond the 50% cap, by also amending the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act. Telangana Jagruti leader K Kavitha says the Congress did not try to build a consensus to showcase the joint political strength of Telangana to the Centre. She has also said a separate 10% quota for Muslims would make it easier to get the reservation enhanced for backward classes.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Revanth takes BC quota battle to Delhi, dharna at Jantar Mantar today
Hyderabad: In a high-stakes political battle, chief minister A Revanth Reddy is set to lead a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, demanding Presidential assent for two key bills that seek to raise BC reservations in the state to 42 per cent. Joined by his cabinet colleagues, Congress MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and hundreds of BC leaders, Revanth is taking the fight to the national capital, urging President Droupadi Murmu to approve the bills, which were sent to her by the Telangana governor three months ago. The state assembly had passed the two bills seeking 42% BC quota in education, employment, and local bodies. For the new quota to be implemented, it must receive Presidential assent and be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The protest has drawn wide support from the INDIA bloc parties. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and senior leaders from the DMK, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Left parties, and NCP-SP are expected to stand in solidarity with Telangana's demand for enhanced BC reservations. On Tuesday, Telangana Congress MPs moved adjournment motions in both Houses of Parliament, demanding discussion on the bills. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This is What Your Fingers Say About Your Personality Tips and Tricks Undo On Aug 7, CM Revanth will lead a delegation to Rashtrapati Bhavan to personally submit representations to the President, seeking assent not just for the two quota bills, but also for an ordinance to remove the 50% cap on reservations under the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act. Posters and banners have already flooded parts of Delhi near Telangana Bhavan. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Seethakka, and Vakiti Srihari have reached the national capital, with deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy expected to join them ahead of the protest. Ponnam appealed to BJP MPs and Union ministers from Telangana to support the bills. "Stop using Muslim reservations as an excuse. BJP govts in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh are giving reservations to backward Muslims too. The BJP and BRS should support the bills in the interest of BCs," he said. A special train carrying BC leaders of the Congress, led by AICC minder for Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, has already arrived in Delhi, while thousands of BC community members and association leaders are travelling on their own to join the agitation. With the high court directing the state to complete the panchayat election process by Sept 30, the Congress govt is under pressure to ensure that the quota policy is approved and in place before polls. Sources said the Jantar Mantar dharna is part of a three-pronged strategy to step up pressure on the Centre.
Time of India
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana guv sends 42% BC quota ordinance to President
Hyderabad: Telangana governor Jishnu Dev Varma has sent the Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance to the President of India for a decision. The ordinance — aimed at enabling 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies in Telangana — was submitted by the Congress govt on July 14 and officially forwarded by the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday. The timing is crucial. With the high court mandating local body elections be held by Sept 30, the President's response will determine whether the state can proceed with its plan to raise the BC quota — a move that challenges the Supreme Court's 50% reservation ceiling. The ordinance, along with two earlier bills seeking 42% BC quota in education, employment, and local bodies, now hangs in the balance. If the 42% reservation for BCs is cleared by the President, total reservation in the state could reach 77% with 15% for SCs, 10% for STs and another 10% for the economically weaker sections. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad At the heart of the issue is section 285A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which stipulates reservation norms for village panchayats, mandal parishads, and zilla parishads. As per Supreme Court guidelines, total reservations for SCs, STs, and BCs in local bodies cannot exceed 50%. Under the previous BRS regime, had elections been held, BC reservations would have remained capped at around 22–23%. To address this, the Congress-led govt conducted a comprehensive caste census and, based on empirical data, proposed increasing BC reservations to 42%. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Writing in English Doesn't Have to Feel Hard Grammarly Learn More Undo This led to the formulation of the Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, which sought to remove the 50% cap in local body reservations. Governor's rationale Sources indicate that the governor's decision to escalate the matter to the President stemmed from two main concerns: The state's attempt to override the 50% reservation ceiling — a threshold reaffirmed by various Supreme Court rulings — through legislative amendments and legal ambiguity over whether a state govt possesses the authority to unilaterally remove this cap without prior central approval. Given these concerns — and with the two BC reservation bills already awaiting Presidential assent — the governor chose to refer the ordinance to the President for further examination, sources said. Legal precedent The move also invokes the landmark 1992 Indra Sawhney versus Union of India judgment, in which the Supreme Court ruled that reservations exceeding 50% are permissible only under "extraordinary circumstances" with robust, data-backed justification. The Telangana govt, citing such exceptional grounds, amended section 285A to base reservations on findings from its caste census. However, the ordinance now awaits Presidential review before it can be implemented. The delay in local body elections has already had tangible consequences. In compliance with the high court's orders, the govt aimed to finalise reservations by July 25 and then announce the election schedule. However, the absence of elected bodies has stalled governance at the grassroots level. Development works in villages have come to a grinding halt, and crucial Finance Commission funds — amounting to over ₹1,600 crore — remain frozen, as these can only be released to duly constituted local bodies. The term of existing local governing institutions expired over 18 months ago, resulting in a vacuum of leadership — no sarpanches, mandal parishad territorial constituency members, or zilla parishad territorial constituency members are in place. Cong plans next moves To push for the Centre's assent, the Congress govt has drawn up an action plan. A series of political programmes are scheduled to be held in Delhi between Aug 5 and 7. The state plans to wait until Aug 15 for a response from the Centre. If there is no progress, the govt is contemplating holding the elections with 42% BC reservations regardless of the pending assent, sources said.
