28 % quota for BCs in panchayat polls

Ongole: The total of caste-wise reservations is being limited to only 50 per cent in the coming panchayat elections following the order of Supreme Court. The panchayat department is now working on the caste-wise data at ward levels in all panchayats.

There are 1,028 panchayats in the Prakasam district. Following the orders from the government, the panchayat secretaries have scrutinised the voters' list in the panchayats and identified the ward numbers. As the population is increased in 10 thandas, the government recognised them as individual panchayats, increasing the total number of panchayats in the district to 1,038. The district panchayat officer published the ward numbers and the voters' lists at all the panchayat offices last week.

Now, the secretaries of all panchayats are instructed to conduct the SC, ST and BC caste-wise survey in all wards in all panchayats. Based on the caste-wise population, the government will announce the reservations. J Rajasekhar Rao, the district panchayat officer, said that there was 56 per cent of reservation in panchayat elections up to now, including 15 per cent to SCs, 7 per cent to STs and 34 per cent to BCs.

But now, he said that the reservation to BCs is being limited to 28 per cent only to limit the total reservation in local bodies to 50 per cent. He said based on the caste-wise population in the wards, the government will announce the reservation to the wards, but the total number of reserved panchayats will not cross the 50 per cent limit as per the Supreme Court orders.