Andhra Pradesh govt. steps up legal battle for 34 per cent BC quota in local bodies

The Andhra Pradesh government will continue its legal battle in the Supreme Court to secure 34 per cent reservation for the Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu and State Ministers K. Atchannaidu and Kolusu Parthasarathy said on Tuesday.Addressing the media at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi, they said the government was preparing to challenge the legal hurdles to reservation beyond the 50 per cent ceiling with empirical data and a detailed examination of recent court judgments.Mr. Rammohan Naidu said the government was studying the High Court verdicts and would pursue an appropriate legal strategy in the Supreme Court.If 34 per cent reservation is implemented, around 16,800 local-body posts could be reserved for BCs, he said.Mr. Atchannaidu said the Ministerial team had consulted senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Devadatt Kamat in Delhi on the Supreme Court’s orders, earlier judgments and reports of various commissions.The discussions focused on the legal options available to the State to restore the 34 per cent quota, he said.The Minister alleged that the previous government had reduced BC reservation in local bodies from 34 per cent to 24 per cent, without making the required legislative changes or approaching the Supreme Court.The present government would pursue the matter to the bitter end to fulfil its commitment to BCs, he said.Mr. Atchannaidu recalled that the N.T. Rama Rao government in undivided Andhra Pradesh introduced 20 per cent reservation for BCs in the local bodies in 1987 and that the Chandrababu Naidu government raised it to 34 per cent in 1995.Mr. Parthasarathy said the government’s objective was to ensure social justice and adequate political representation for BCs in local bodies.He said the State was relying on the constitutional provisions governing reservations in local self-government institutions while pursuing the matter.Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s visits to Delhi were aimed at pursuing the issues related to the State’s development.A.P. Bhavan Special Commissioner Arja Srikanth also attended the meeting. Published - October 06, 2026 07:51 pm IST