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Evening Pulse: Andhra's BC quota settles near 28%, and the local body polls finally come into view
After the Supreme Court refused to restore a 34% quota, the cabinet has fixed new BC shares under a 50% cap. The fight now moves to party tickets, voter rolls and an election calendar that is still unofficial.
Pan India Pulse deskBased on reports from ThePrint (PTI), Deccan Chronicle, The Hans India, The Hans India (IANS)
Andhra Pradesh's long-delayed local body elections moved a big step closer this weekend. Panchayat and municipal terms ran out in March and April. What held the polls up was a legal question: how many seats can be reserved for Backward Classes (BCs)?
The courts answered it firmly. On October 1 the High Court struck down orders that gave BCs 34% of rural seats and 33.33% of urban ones, and on October 9 the Supreme Court dismissed the state's appeal. The constitutional limit of 50% on total reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and BCs together stands.
On Saturday a special cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accepted the report of the Rajiv Ranjan Mishra Commission and fixed new BC shares within that cap. They range from about 23% for zilla parishad chairs to about 35% for mayors, with an average of 28.18%, according to the government's figures. Orders followed for panchayats and, on Sunday, for urban bodies through GO 251.
The coalition is trying to soften the cut politically. TDP, Jana Sena and BJP leaders say they will give BCs more than 34% of party tickets wherever the legal quota is lower. Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu blamed the previous YSRCP government for an earlier cut in the BC quota, and warned that further delay would cost the state Finance Commission funds tied to elected local bodies.
The coalition's own seat-sharing is the next test. Launching the Rs 2,052 crore Adavi Thalli Bata 2.0 tribal roads programme at Rampachodavaram on Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan asked for "adequate representation" for Jana Sena workers, saying they had asked for nothing in 2024.
The YSRCP is fighting on different ground. Its leader Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Naidu of betraying BCs after the Supreme Court verdict. The party has also asked the State Election Commission to use voter rolls updated to July 15, which include new additions, saying that holding polls before newly eligible voters are added would hurt their right to vote.
When will the polls be held? Telugu and English outlets have reported different dates for notifications around the middle of this week, and a possible meeting of the State Election Commission with parties on Monday. None of this has been officially announced, so treat the dates as expected, not fixed.
Two other dates matter. On Tuesday the Telangana High Court hears an Enforcement Directorate petition seeking day-to-day trial in nine money-laundering complaints against Jagan Mohan Reddy and others. And at Tirumala, a TTD board member has asked Karnataka to cancel a 30-year lease of the Karnataka State Choultry to its tourism corporation.
Pulse view
Analysis by the Pulse deskThe 50% cap has turned a political promise into arithmetic. No party can now offer BCs a bigger legal quota in local bodies. What remains is a choice each party makes freely: how many tickets it gives to BC candidates. That is good news for voters, because ticket lists are public and easy to check.
The coalition's harder problem may be internal. Three partners must split thousands of seats, and Pawan Kalyan's remarks show Jana Sena expects its share. The YSRCP, meanwhile, has tied its case to the national voter-roll debate, betting that who gets to vote matters as much as who gets reserved seats.
Here is the question for Andhra's voters: if parties promise 34% of tickets to BCs, will they keep it in winnable seats, or only in seats they expect to lose? The first candidate lists will tell you.
What they are saying
The coalition government's primary goal is to do social justice and give deserving political representation to BCs
We must honour the trust of those who stood by us without seeking any positions of power.
Conducting elections before newly eligible voters are included would affect their constitutional right to vote.
What to watch
- An official schedule from the State Election Commission
- How the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP divide seats, and how many tickets go to BC candidates
- The Telangana High Court hearing on the ED petition on Tuesday
- Whether the YSRCP goes to court over which voter roll is used
Your take
Do you agree with the Pulse view?
Sources
- Andhra Cabinet finalises BC quota in local bodies based on commission report ThePrint (PTI)
- AP NDA coalition promises 28.18% average quota for BCs in local body elections Deccan Chronicle
- GO on BC quota in local bodies caps total reservations at 50% The Hans India
- AP: GO 251 issued for implementation of BC reservation Deccan Chronicle
- Pawan Kalyan seeks adequate representation for Jana Sena in local body polls The Hans India (IANS)
- Pawan Kalyan highlights sacrifices of Jana Sena cadres ahead of local body polls Telangana Today (IANS)
- YSRCP urges Andhra Pradesh election commission to include all eligible voters in local body rolls The News Mill
- Supreme Court upholds Andhra Pradesh HC verdict on local body polls ETV Bharat
- ED seeks early resolution of Jagan illegal assets case Deccan Chronicle
- ED seeks day-to-day hearing in Jagan cases The South First