Telangana Cabinet to Decide Local Body Election Schedule on Nov 17 After High Court Directive

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced on Friday that the State Cabinet will meet on November 17 to decide the schedule for long-pending elections to local bodies. This comes after the Telangana High Court directed the government to declare the election schedule by November 24.

Speaking to the media at his camp office, the Chief Minister said the Cabinet would review the legal and administrative implications before finalising a fresh election timetable. He acknowledged that the High Court’s order has made it necessary for the government to clearly state its position on the stalled civic polls.

The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) had earlier issued the election schedule on September 29 and released the official notification on October 8. However, the process was halted after the High Court stayed GO 9, which provided 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies.

Following the stay, the TSEC suspended all election-related activity, awaiting clarity from the government.

A major issue before the Cabinet will be recalibration of BC reservations. According to official sources, the government may consider reducing the BC quota to 25% in order to comply with the Supreme Court’s 50% cap on total reservations for BCs, SCs and STs.

The Cabinet’s November 17 decision will determine whether the state moves ahead with local body elections before the High Court’s deadline.