Andhra Pradesh BC quota of 34 per cent in local body elections has been struck down by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which held that the reservation would push the overall quota beyond the 50 per cent ceiling laid down under Supreme Court guidelines.The High Court set aside two government orders providing enhanced reservation for Backward Classes in local bodies. The state had proposed 34 per cent BC reservation in rural local bodies and 33.33 per cent in urban local bodies.

The central legal issue concerned the overall reservation ceiling. Petitioners argued that combining the proposed BC quota with reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes would take the total beyond 50 per cent. The court accepted the challenge and quashed the orders.The decision affects the state government’s plan to increase political representation for Backward Classes in local institutions. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had announced the enhanced reservation in August, describing it as fulfilment of a commitment made during the 2024 elections.

Andhra Pradesh Gets Six-Week Deadline For Local Polls

The High Court also directed the Andhra Pradesh government and State Election Commission to initiate the process for conducting local body elections within six weeks. The ruling covered petitions concerning gram panchayat and municipal elections.The TDP-led NDA government has decided to challenge the High Court judgment before the Supreme Court. Naidu directed officials to initiate legal steps immediately after the verdict.

The government had argued that its reservation policy was supported by data, including findings considered from a commission headed by retired IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra. Petitioners, however, questioned the legal and statistical basis for exceeding the reservation ceiling.The judgment therefore creates a fresh legal phase for Andhra Pradesh’s local body reservation policy while also setting a timetable for the election process.