HYDERABAD: Even in the absence of a statutory mandate for 42 per cent reservations to Backward Classes (BCs), a point of contention that delayed conduct of local body elections for a long time, around 42 per cent (41.65% to be precise) of the sarpanches elected were BCs in the recent gram panchayat elections. According to sources, a majority of these 42 per cent BC sarpanch candidates were backed by the ruling Congress.
The elections were conducted in 12,702 out of a total of 12,760 gram panchayats in the state. Of these, 1,211 villages elected their sarpanches unanimously and the remaining 11,491 panchayats went to elections.
The district-wise data accessed by TNIE reveals that BC candidates, belonging to A, B, C, D and E categories, secured 4,787 of the 11,491 sarpanch posts.
A Congress leader said that these figures indicate how the government’s political outreach translated into outcomes broadly reflecting its stated commitment to social justice, despite the legal hurdles that have so far prevented formal implementation of enhanced BC reservation in local bodies.
Out of the 11,491 sarpanches elected in the state, Scheduled Tribes (STs) won 3,070 posts (26.71%) followed by Scheduled Castes (SCs) with 2,239 posts (19.48%) while Open Category (OC) candidates secured 1,395 posts (12.14%).
Within the BC segment, BC-D candidates emerged dominant winning 2,657 posts, followed by BC-B with 1,613, BC-A with 382, BC-E with 130 and BC-C five posts.
Additionally, the BC representation was particularly strong in districts like Nalgonda (298 BC sarpanches), Sangareddy (288), Medak (229), Siddipet (279), Rangareddy (200) and Vikarabad (220). In several of these districts, BC-D candidates accounted for more than half of the BC victories.
In districts with considerable tribal population, the ST candidates showed their dominance with Bhadradri Kothagudem electing 419 ST sarpanches, Mahbubabad 303, Adilabad 257 and Komaram Bheem Asifabad 201. SCs recorded notable victories in districts such as Nalgonda 166, Sangareddy 136, Khammam 112 and Rangareddy 114.