Telangana High Court Halts Local Body Polls Over 42% BC Quota

The Telangana High Court has imposed a temporary stay on the state government’s decision to provide 42% reservation for Backward Classes in the upcoming local body elections. Acting on this, the State Election Commission (SEC) has halted the election process and issued an official gazette notification.

A bench led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin examined petitions challenging the government’s order. The High Court has directed the Telangana government to submit a counter affidavit within four weeks, granting petitioners two weeks to reply. Until then, the increased BC quota and the election notification will remain suspended.

As a result, the local body election process in Telangana is currently on hold. The SEC confirmed that it is following the court’s instructions, and the election code of conduct has been lifted across the state.

Recently, the Revanth Reddy government issued Government Order (GO) No. 9 to raise BC reservation to 42% and announced the local body election schedule. However, following petitions questioning the order’s validity, the High Court stepped in, pausing elections until further orders.