The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday, March 17, passed two key Bills aimed at enhancing reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in education, government employment, and local governance. The Bills, which propose 42% reservations for BCs, received unanimous support from all political parties, including the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
The two Bills—‘Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments for Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2025’ and ‘Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill, 2025’—were introduced in the Assembly after Zero Hour and passed through a voice vote.
Introducing the Bills, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said, “There should be one voice which should go from the Telangana Assembly that all of us support the Bills and 42% reservation… Backward Classes have become the backbone classes in the country.”
Speaking in the Assembly Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that the Telangana government is committed to providing 42% reservations to BCs, as per the Kamareddy declaration by Congress. “Our state is the first in the country to conduct a socio-economic caste survey, which was 100% genuine,” he said.
The Chief Minister also clarified that the new Bill replaces an earlier proposal from 2017 under the BRS government, which had sought 37% reservations for BCs but faced legal and technical challenges. By introducing fresh legislation, the state aims to avoid complications and ensure smooth implementation.
Revanth Reddy announced that February 4 would be observed as ‘Social Justice Day’ every year, commemorating the Telangana Assembly’s resolution to enhance BC reservations. He reiterated that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had pledged to increase BC reservations to 42% if the party came to power and recalled that the state government had announced a caste census on the same date.
The Chief Minister urged BJP legislators to facilitate a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek his approval for enhancing the BC quota at the national level. He also stated that the Pradesh Congress Committee would work on securing an appointment with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to push for the necessary Constitutional amendment required to implement the enhanced reservations.
Revanth Reddy thanked all political parties and members for their unanimous support, emphasizing that the move was a step towards greater social justice and empowerment for Backward Classes in Telangana.