TDP to Give Up to 40% Reservation to BCs in Andhra Local Body Elections, Says Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced that his party will allocate up to 40% of seats to Backward Classes (BCs) in the upcoming local body elections. He said the election results would be considered a yardstick for evaluating the performance of party leaders.

In a virtual meeting with senior TDP leaders on Sunday, Mr. Naidu said the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) went to court to deprive BCs of reservations and to delay the elections. He recalled that by reducing reservations from 34% to 24%, the YSRCP had done grave injustice to the BC community.

Mr. Naidu said the YSRCP was never serious about the welfare of BCs, who constitute about 50% of Andhra Pradesh's population. He urged TDP leaders and grassroots workers to highlight how the YSRCP had "cheated" BCs over the years.

"Local body elections are the platform to elevate deserving BC leaders to higher levels, and justice is being done to them, without compromising on the interests of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes," Mr. Naidu observed.

The TDP chief said ratings would be given based on the leaders' performance in the local body elections and sought proper coordination among the allies—the TDP, Jana Sena Party, and BJP—to achieve the desired result. He said the YSRCP had intensified its "false propaganda" on a host of issues as the elections neared, and that it should be thwarted.

The selection of candidates would be done by factoring in their prospects of victory, honesty, efficiency, and social reengineering, he said, stressing that the local elections were crucial to increase the strength of the alliance.

Mr. Naidu said that through these elections, a strong lesson must be taught to the YSRCP and other "anti-development forces." He noted that the government had so far spent ₹1.50 lakh crore on welfare and gave due priority to development. He asked leaders to focus on the delivery of the "Super Six" promises during the election campaign alongside other accomplishments.

"The coalition government has been working with the goals of individual security, family empowerment and village development. It has been largely successful in reaching them. The party leaders and cadres should leave no stone unturned to win the local body elections," Mr. Naidu added.

Local body elections in Andhra Pradesh are important as they determine control over panchayat and municipal bodies, which are key to grassroots development. They are also often viewed as a reflection of the public mood ahead of larger polls.

The TDP-led coalition government, which includes the Jana Sena Party and the BJP, is currently in power in Andhra Pradesh. The dates for the local body elections are yet to be announced.

BCs are a politically influential community in Andhra Pradesh, constituting about 50% of the population. Reservations for BCs in local bodies have been a contentious issue in the state. The political significance of the announcement is clear, as BCs form a major vote bank in the state. The TDP's announcement is likely to set the tone for the election campaign.