Telangana Government Finalizes Reservations for Municipal Elections
The Telangana government has taken a crucial step toward holding municipal elections across the state. On Wednesday night, officials issued detailed reservation orders for 121 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations. This move clears a major administrative hurdle and sets the stage for the State Election Commission to announce the poll schedule.
Breakdown of Reservations for Municipalities
Municipal Administration Secretary TK Sridevi provided a comprehensive breakdown of the reservations. For the 121 municipalities, the government allocated chairperson posts based on specific categories.
- Scheduled Tribes (STs): Five posts reserved according to the 2011 Census data.
- Scheduled Castes (SCs): Seventeen posts reserved as per census figures.
- Backward Classes (BCs): Thirty-eight posts reserved following recommendations from the dedicated BC commission.
- Women: Thirty-one posts exclusively reserved under the Telangana Municipalities Act.
- General Category: Thirty posts left unreserved.
Reservations for Municipal Corporations
The government also finalized reservations for the 10 municipal corporations. Each corporation will have a mayor position allocated based on similar criteria.
- One mayor post reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
- One mayor post reserved for Scheduled Castes.
- Three mayor posts earmarked for Backward Classes.
- Four mayor posts allocated to women candidates.
- One mayor post remains in the general category.
Ward-Level Reservations Finalized
In addition to leadership positions, the government has settled reservations for individual wards. The allocations follow established guidelines.
Ward reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes rely on the 2011 Census data. Backward Class reservations incorporate recommendations from the dedicated commission. The government also set aside seats for women and general categories across all wards.
Next Steps for Election Process
With the reservation process now complete, the Telangana State Election Commission holds the next key responsibility. Officials expect the SEC to release the official election schedule within the coming days. This announcement will trigger the formal commencement of campaign activities and nomination filings.
The finalization of reservations represents a significant milestone. It removes a major procedural obstacle that had delayed the municipal election process. Local bodies across Telangana can now prepare for democratic renewal and administrative change.
