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Political, social justice to BCs is our goal: Atchanna
In Short
Accuses YSRCP and Jagan of trying to reduce representation of BCs
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Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu
Amaravati: Ensuring proper political representation and social justice for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections is the main goal of the coalition government, agriculture minister K Atchannaidu said. Speaking to media at the Secretariat on Saturday after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Atchannaidu said the government is committed to providing constitutional reservations to BCs and creating more political opportunities within legal limits.
He was accompanied by ministers Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Y Satya Kumar Yadav, Kolusu Parthasarathy, S Savitha, Gummidi Sandhya Rani and Vangalapudi Anitha.
Recalling the history of BC reservations, Atchannaidu said BCs have stood by the TDP since its inception. He said former chief minister N T Rama Rao introduced 20 per cent reservation for BCs in 1987, and Chandrababu Naidu increased it to 34 per cent in 1995 after amending the Panchayat Raj Act.
He alleged that after YSRCP came to power in 2019, the reservation was cut from 34 per cent to 24 per cent, causing BCs to lose around 17,000 political posts at various levels. The minister said the present government tried to restore the 34 per cent quota and issued orders, but after objections in courts, it approached the Supreme Court.
As per the Supreme Court guidelines, the government appointed a dedicated commission through GO No 3 on February 19, 2026, headed by senior IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra.
The commission collected data from across districts and communities and recommended reservations based on BC population in each local unit. The Cabinet has approved the report and sent it to the State Election Commission, he said.
As per the report, the proposed BC reservations are: Gram panchayat ward members - 26.73 per cent, sarpanches-27.95 per cent, MPTCs-25.55 per cent, MPPs-24.60 per cent, ZPTCs-24.60 per cent, Zilla Parishad chairpersons-23.08 per cent, urban ward members-32.78 per cent, municipal chairpersons-33.02 per cent and mayors-35.29 per cent. The average BC reservation across all local bodies is 28.18 per cent.
