AP Targets 16,800 Local Body Posts Through 34% BC Quota

The Andhra Pradesh government is continuing its legal battle to ensure 34 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies, Union and state ministers said, asserting that the advancement of weaker sections and social justice remain among the government's key priorities.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy, and Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad made the remarks at a joint press conference at AP Bhavan in New Delhi.

Ram Mohan Naidu said the government was approaching the Supreme Court with empirical data to support its case for crossing the 50 per cent reservation ceiling. He said the government had studied the Andhra Pradesh High Court's judgments in detail and was proceeding with a carefully planned legal strategy.

He alleged that some individuals were attempting to prevent BC communities from securing their rightful opportunities for political and personal reasons. The government, he said, was committed to ensuring adequate political and social representation for BCs.

The Union Minister said implementation of 34 per cent reservation could benefit BC communities with around 16,800 positions in local bodies. Greater representation, from village sarpanchs and MPTCs to ZPTCs, municipal councillors and mayors, could also create a broader political base for BC representatives to enter the State Assembly and Parliament in the future, he said.

Atchannaidu said the ministerial delegation had travelled to Delhi to discuss the Supreme Court's orders and determine the next course of legal action. The ministers held consultations with senior lawyers, including Mukul Rohatgi and Devadatt Kamat, on Supreme Court judgments, commission reports and other legal issues concerning BC reservations.

He recalled that 20 per cent reservation was introduced in local bodies in 1987 and was later increased to 34 per cent in 1995. Atchannaidu alleged that the previous government reduced the quota from 34 per cent to 24 per cent without making the necessary legislative amendments or approaching the Supreme Court.

Parthasarathy said the government's objective was to ensure social justice and political empowerment for weaker sections and reiterated its determination to secure 34 per cent reservation.

Satya Prasad said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu remained focused on development and welfare despite political challenges and had repeatedly visited Delhi to pursue the state's interests. AP Bhavan Special Commissioner Arja Srikanth also attended the meeting.