Overview

• Lawmakers approved amendments to the Municipalities and Panchayat Raj Acts to remove the 50% cap and set 42% reservation for Backward Classes in urban and rural local bodies.
• The government said it will issue a Government Order to apply the quota in upcoming local body elections, which the High Court has directed to be held by September 30.
• An earlier ordinance and previously passed bills seeking the same enhancement remain before the President for assent, leaving constitutional questions over breaching the 50% ceiling unresolved.
• Officials said the expansion is grounded in a socio-economic and caste survey estimating the BC population in Telangana at roughly 56%.
• Debate in the Assembly grew heated as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy accused the BRS of blocking the push, while K. T. Rama Rao asserted support and urged central action to clear legal hurdles.