Hyderabad: The state government has finalised the reservation procedures for the upcoming local body elections, issuing a new Government Order (GO) on Saturday in accordance with the Supreme Court‘s directive to ensure that reservations do not exceed 50 per cent.
The GO outlines the detailed process to be followed in implementing reservations in Gram Panchayat elections. As per Article 244 of the Indian Constitution, reservation norms will also be applied in Scheduled Areas.
The government has decided to provide up to 50 per cent reservation for women. These reservations will be implemented uniformly across all categories, including SC, ST, BC, and OC, according to the guidelines.
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Officials said that the category-wise allocations made during the 2019 local body elections will be taken into consideration, and reservations will now be applied based on the latest rotation system.
Further, ward member reservations will be determined using data from the 2024 caste survey, while reservations for sarpanch posts will be based on the 2011 Census. However, BC sarpanch reservations will rely specifically on the 2024 caste survey.
The government said the revised guidelines are intended to ensure transparency and constitutional compliance as preparations for the local body elections move forward.