Telangana Congress to intensify struggle for 42% BC quota; chalks out new plans

Hyderabad: The political battle for enhanced Backward Classes (BC) reservations is heating up in Telangana.

Senior Congress leader and former MP V Hanumantha Rao met TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud to strategise the next phase of the struggle.

The marathon discussion focused intensely on the implementation of the state government's commitment to provide 42 percent reservation for BCs in local bodies, a contentious issue currently mired in legal and political hurdles.

Intensified struggle

During the meeting, V H and Mahesh Kumar Goud reviewed the party's ongoing efforts, including:

Meetings and round table discussions with various BC organizations.

Protests, including a meeting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, to pressure the Union Government.

The leaders affirmed that the BC reservation issue is "not a closed chapter" and stressed that they must achieve the 42% quota at all costs. They agreed on the need to formulate appropriate strategies to intensify the struggle.

Direct appeal to Prime Minister

In a significant proposal aimed at cutting through the central logjam, V Hanumantha Rao requested TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud to facilitate the organization of an all-party delegation from the state.

V H urged Goud to arrange for this delegation, to be led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, to meet directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The objective of the meeting would be to seek immediate approval for the pending BC reservation Bills, asserting that all necessary technical, legal, and judicial measures have been completed by the state government.

The leaders are now focused on elevating the political pressure both at the state and national levels to secure the enhanced quota and deliver on the party's promise to the numerically strong Backward Classes community.

BC reservations background

To increase the BC quota from the previous 23% (reduced to an average of about 17% in recent rural polls) to 42% has been fraught with challenges.

The Supreme Court Ceiling: The central legal obstacle is the Supreme Court's ruling in the Indra Sawhney case, which caps total reservations for all categories (SC, ST, BC) at 50 percent, except in extraordinary circumstances.

The Triple Test: To enhance political reservations for BCs, the Supreme Court mandates a "Triple Test," which includes:

Setting up a Dedicated Commission to conduct a contemporaneous, rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of backwardness.

Specifying the proportion of reservation based on the Commission's recommendations.

Ensuring the overall quota does not exceed the 50% limit.

Telangana's Measures: The Telangana government, citing the majority 56.33% BC population revealed in its recent caste census/survey, has taken several steps to bypass the 50% ceiling and implement the 42% quota:

Formation of the BC Commission/Dedicated Commission and submission of its report recommending 42% reservation.

Passing of Assembly and Council resolutions (Bills) in March 2025 to increase the quota by removing the 50% cap.

Issuing a Government Order (GO) and an Ordinance to implement the 42% quota ahead of local body polls.

Current Roadblocks:

The Bills passed by the State Legislature, which would legally override the 50% cap, are awaiting the assent of the President of India. The Congress party alleges the BJP-led Centre is stalling the process.

The High Court has stayed the State Government’s GO implementing the 42% reservation, referring the issue back to the legal processes, with the Supreme Court also refusing to intervene against the HC's direction to wait for its proceedings.