Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday announced that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would allocate more than 34 per cent of its tickets to candidates from Backward Classes (BCs) in the forthcoming local body elections.
The announcement came after the Supreme Court dismissed the state government's petition challenging an Andhra Pradesh High Court order that invalidated the 34 per cent reservation for BCs in local body polls.
Addressing a public gathering at Narsingolu in Prakasam district after distributing pattadar passbooks to farmers, Naidu said the coalition remained committed to ensuring greater political representation for the Backward Classes.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court, on October 1, struck down two government orders providing 34 per cent reservation for BCs in local body elections, ruling that the quota exceeded the overall 50 per cent reservation ceiling prescribed under judicial guidelines.
Naidu had announced the enhanced reservation on August 18, proposing a 34 per cent quota for BCs in rural local bodies and 33.33 per cent in urban local bodies.
Reacting to the court proceedings, the Chief Minister maintained that the NDA would ensure adequate representation for BC communities by allocating them more than 34 per cent of the seats it contests, despite the legal setback to the proposed reservation policy.
He said BCs account for more than half of the state's population and have remained a strong support base for the TDP for nearly 45 years. According to Naidu, the party has introduced several measures to improve their political, economic and social standing.
Recalling the initiatives of former Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao, Naidu said the TDP had initially introduced 24 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies, which he later sought to raise to 34 per cent. He alleged that the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government had reduced the quota to 24 per cent.
The Chief Minister also criticised the opposition YSRCP, accusing it of opposing the coalition government's efforts to increase BC representation. He asserted that the NDA would continue to provide greater opportunities to BC candidates in the upcoming local elections.
During the event, Naidu also highlighted the progress of the government's ‘Mee Bhumi-Mee Hakku’ initiative, under which pattadar passbooks are being distributed to farmers.
He said the government had distributed 40.58 lakh passbooks so far. More than four lakh farmers across 790 villages received the documents bearing the official seal during October alone, he added.
Targeting the previous administration over land governance, Naidu alleged that people had faced insecurity regarding their land ownership and that several administrative systems had deteriorated during the YSRCP's tenure.
He said the present coalition government was working to resolve these issues and accelerate development across Andhra Pradesh.
