The issue of Backward Class reservation is fast emerging as a serious political challenge for the Revanth Reddy government in Telangana. With MPTC and ZPTC elections expected soon, the demand for implementing 42 percent BC reservation has placed the state leadership under growing pressure.
Rajya Sabha member R. Krishnaiah has written to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, urging the government to conduct the upcoming local body elections only after providing 42 percent reservation to Backward Classes. According to Krishnaiah, the Congress party had clearly committed itself to increasing BC reservations in local institutions as part of its election assurances. He alleged that Backward Classes were already denied fair representation during the recent sarpanch elections and said repeating the same approach in MPTC and ZPTC polls would amount to another betrayal.
The demand is politically sensitive because Backward Classes form a large and influential section of Telangana’s population. For decades, BC groups have argued that their numerical strength is not reflected in positions of power, especially at the grassroots level.
The state government has earlier expressed its intention to increase BC reservations in local bodies. However, legal and procedural hurdles have slowed implementation. This delay has now become a flashpoint, with BC leaders insisting that elections without enhanced reservation would lack moral legitimacy.
Krishnaiah has made it clear that if elections are conducted without implementing the promised quota, Backward Class organisations will launch a statewide agitation. He cited constitutional provisions that allow state governments to decide reservation levels in local bodies and argued that political will, not legal helplessness, is the real issue.
For Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the situation is delicate. On one side lies the risk of legal complications. On the other stands the danger of alienating a crucial social group that played a key role in recent electoral outcomes. Any delay or compromise could fuel resentment and weaken the government’s credibility.
The reservation debate has also stalled the election process. Uncertainty over seat allocation and quotas has made it difficult to finalise schedules for MPTC and ZPTC polls. This administrative pause is adding to political tension, as both ruling and opposition parties calculate the impact on their prospects. How the Revanth Reddy government handles this challenge may shape not only the local body elections but also its broader relationship with Backward Classes in the years ahead.
