Hyderabad: The Telangana Assembly on Sunday, August 31, passed the Telangana Municipalities (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 to provide 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections, up from the existing 23%.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said the Congress government is committed to holding local body polls only after implementing the enhanced quota, in line with the party’s 2023 poll promise. He blamed the previous BRS regime for failing to raise the quota due to the restrictions in the 2018 Panchayat Raj Act.

The CM noted that while the Bills were earlier sent to the President after an ordinance was issued, the High Court has directed that elections be held before September 30. He said the government completed a caste census and followed due legal process before enacting the new law.

TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud and Minister Ponnal Prabhakar welcomed the move, calling it a historic step toward BC empowerment.