Both BRS and BJP have demanded that 42 percent reservation should be given to BCs in Telangana local body elections scheduled to be held soon. However, the Left parties only said that the ruling party should hold an all-party meeting on the increase in reservation.
The State Election Commissioner Parthasarathy held an all-party meeting on conducting Panchayat polls in the state. Congress, BRS, BJP, CPI and CPM parties participated in this.
On this occasion, BRS demanded that caste enumeration should be carried out in the state and after that 42 percent reservation should be given to BCs in local body elections. It has reminded that Congress has put this matter in its election manifesto.
The BJP also reminded that the Congress had promised to implement 42 percent reservation for BCs in the Panchayat elections in its Kamareddy Declaration. But, the Left parties said that the Election Commission should give clarification that the issue of enhancement of reservation is actually under the purview of the state government? Or to discuss with the center?
However, the TPCC Election Commission Management Committee Chairman Gopishetty Niranjan admitting that his party is committed to the implementation of 42 percent reservation in local body polls, said that it should not lead to delay in conducting polls.
Reminding that case census is related to this, he has indicated that it may not be possible for now to provide such reservations. Moreover, he cautioned if the panchayat elections are not held on time, the funds coming from the center will stop and a decision should be taken keeping all these factors in mind.
Apart from this, all the parties urged the Election Commission that the polling stations should be 1 km away from voters and also care should be taken that people belonging to the same family are in the same ward while dividing the voter list into wards in gram panchayats.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Parthasaradhi said that the elections will be held without reservation exceeding 50 percent in accordance with the orders given by the Supreme Court regarding reservations in local bodies. But he clarified that the state government has to decide how much reservation should be given to whom. On its part, he said the Commission is ready to hold elections immediately.