GO Released On Panchayat Election Reservations

The Telangana government today issued a GO regarding reservations in the Gram Panchayat elections in the State.

The government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, has decided to conduct local body elections at the earliest, and as part of the process, comprehensive guidelines on reservations in the elections have been released.

The government has set guidelines stating that the total reservations for sarpanches and ward members must not exceed 50%. A special commission on reservations has been constituted as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

The order also states that reservations for STs, SCs, BCs and women should be implemented on a rotational basis. Wards/villages reserved in previous elections should not be reserved again for the same category, and reservations not implemented in the 2019 elections might continue as they were, it states.

It also says that allocation of reservations should be based on the Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey of 2024, and the guidelines specify that SEEEPC data along with the 2011 census should be used for sarpanch reservations.

All wards and sarpanch posts in 100% ST villages will be reserved exclusively for STs. Reservations should be allocated according to the "descending population order", the GO said.

It also stated that ward reservation decisions should be taken under the supervision of the MPDO, while sarpanch reservation decisions should be made under the supervision of the RDO. ST reservations should be finalised first, followed by SC and BC allocations.

The guidelines also state that reservation for women should be calculated separately within all categories and implemented accordingly. If the number of gram panchayats or wards is limited, women should be allotted first, followed by allocation through a lottery method.

The State government directed district Collectors and election authorities to take the necessary steps for the exercise.