The Telangana State Cabinet has decided to amend the state’s Panchayat Raj Act of 2018 to allow the state to exceed the 50 per cent cap on overall reservations in rural local body polls. The polls are scheduled to be held in September.

After the Cabinet meeting, State BC Welfare and Revenue Ministers P Prabhakar and Srinivas Reddy informed the media in Hyderabad last evening that the government is committed to implementing 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs).

In the 2018 Act, the previous government in the state, had capped reservations at 50 percent in line with the Supreme Court’s overall cap over reservation. It may be known that the Government had in July this year, passed two Bills and issued an Ordinance to breach this ceiling and sent it to the governor of the state.

The Bills and the Ordinance which seek 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies, are now with the President for assent. In another key decision, the cabinet decided to nominate former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin and Prof Kodandaram to the Legislative Council under Governor’s quota.