New Delhi, Oct 9: The Andhra Pradesh government has faced a setback in its legal battle over 34 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections. The case concerns the state government’s decision to increase political reservations for BC communities and the legal challenges to the move.
The dispute follows an Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment that struck down the enhanced BC quota. The state government subsequently approached the Supreme Court, seeking relief against the High Court’s order.
Andhra Pradesh High Court Sets Aside Enhanced BC Quota
On October 1, the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside government orders providing enhanced BC reservation in local body elections to the extent that the combined reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and BCs exceeded the overall 50 per cent ceiling.
The High Court observed that the data submitted by the state government did not satisfy the requirements prescribed by the Supreme Court for providing reservations beyond the established limit.
The court said the government must collect adequate empirical data on BC communities before reconsidering the reservation percentage. It also directed the state government and the State Election Commission to initiate the local body election process within six weeks.
State Government Challenges High Court Order in Supreme Court
The Andhra Pradesh government challenged the High Court judgment before the Supreme Court, seeking relief to continue its policy of providing increased political representation to BC communities.
The government maintained that it had undertaken a fresh empirical exercise in 2026 to support the enhanced reservation. It sought the Supreme Court’s intervention against the High Court’s decision.
The legal dispute focuses on whether the state has met the requirements for providing 34 per cent BC reservation in local body elections while complying with the legal limits governing reservations.
Impact on Andhra Pradesh Local Body Elections
The outcome of the BC reservation case could affect the reservation structure for gram panchayats, mandal parishads, zilla parishads and urban local bodies across Andhra Pradesh.
The case is significant for BC political representation in the state, as the government seeks to increase the community’s participation in local governance.
The government will need to comply with applicable legal requirements and the courts’ directions while determining the reservation percentage for local body elections.
Further developments in the Supreme Court proceedings will be important in determining the legal position of the state’s enhanced BC reservation policy.
