The two bills drew support from all political parties, including the BRS, the BJP, and AlMIM and the bills were passed through a voice vote, after a brief discussion.
The Bills — ‘Telangana
Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in educational institutions and appointments for posts in services under the state) Bill, 2025’ — and the ‘Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of seats in rural and urban local bodies) Bill, 2025’ were tabled after the Zero Hour.
The ruling Congress said that the passage of the two bills in the assembly was a crucial step towards social justice. It came within months of the Telangana government’s caste survey finding that the BCs formed 56.33% of the state’s population.
Political reactions
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy hailed the passage of the 42% OBC reservation bill as a landmark moment in India’s social justice movement. “Telangana is proud to lead the social revolution in India. Be on the right side of history and let each one of us become a champion of this historic move,” he said.
Telangana is proud to lead the social revolution in #India
It is my honour to announce the longest pending demand of the subaltern groups since Indian Independence, the yearning of our brothers & sisters belonging to the Backward Castes, on being counted & recognised in an…— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) March 17, 2025
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the bill was a fulfilment of the party’s promise and a step toward ensuring equal representation. “The actual number of OBCs obtained through scientific caste count was accepted, and a bill for 42% reservation was passed in the Assembly to guarantee their participation in education, employment, and politics… Telangana has shown the way, this is what the whole country needs. Caste census will definitely happen in India, we will get it done,” he claimed.
कांग्रेस सरकार ने तेलंगाना में OBC आरक्षण बढ़ाने का वादा पूरा कर दिया है।
राज्य में वैज्ञानिक तरीके से हुई जातिगत गिनती से मिली OBC समुदाय की वास्तविक संख्या स्वीकार की गई और शिक्षा, रोजगार और राजनीति में उनकी समान भागीदारी सुनिश्चित करने के लिए विधानसभा में 42% आरक्षण का बिल… https://t.co/MdXwryq34O— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 18, 2025
Irrigation Minister of Telangana, Uttam Reddy, said it was a “historic day.”
Congress Government Fulfills Decades-Long Demand For SC Categorisation
The SC (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill 2025 was passed in the Telangana Assembly, fulfilling a decades-long demand for SC categorisation.This is a historic day. pic.twitter.com/nLSYyldfKI
— Uttam Kumar Reddy (@UttamINC) March 18, 2025
Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress wrote on X, “Many congratulations to the people of Telangana. The caste survey has been completed in Telangana and now on that basis, the work of providing.”
Many congratulations to the people of Telangana ????
The Telangana Congress government has introduced a bill in the assembly to provide 42% reservation to the backward classes.The caste survey has been completed in Telangana and now on that basis, the work of providing pic.twitter.com/YxTVy7YkdJ
— Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress (@TelanganaPMC) March 18, 2025
But the move also drew sharp criticism from the opposition. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha accused the Congress of historical neglect of backward communities. “The then Congress party had ignored the Kalelkar Committee report. Indira Gandhi did not implement the BP Mandal Commission report for 10 years. Rajiv Gandhi gave a speech against BCs in Parliament. He argued that giving reservations to BCs would break up the country. It was done by the then UPA government in 2011 at a cost of ₹4,300 crores but the report has not been released till now.”
ఈ దేశంలో కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ వల్లనే బీసీలకు అన్యాయం జరిగింది.
కాలేల్కర్ కమిటీ నివేదికను పక్కన పడేసిందే అప్పటి కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ. బీపీ మండల్ కమిషన్ నివేదికను ఇందిరా గాంధీ 10 ఏళ్ల పాటు అమలు చేయలేదు.
పార్లమెంటులో రాజీవ్ గాంధీ బీసీలకు వ్యతిరేకంగా ప్రసంగం చేశారు. బీసీలకు రిజర్వేషన్లు… pic.twitter.com/M3B1ahj6wt— BRS Party (@BRSparty) March 18, 2025
BJP MLA Payal Shankar raised concerns over the bill’s legal standing, particularly after the Supreme Court halted Muslim reservations in Telangana. “The bill offers 42% reservation for BCs, but if some of that is already given to one religion, what will the rest of the BCs receive? The High Court has already cancelled these reservations,” he said, as per TOI.
He also criticised Telangana’s economic management, claiming the state is burdened with over ₹7 lakh crore in debt.
AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi dismissed the BJP’s claims that reservations for BC Muslims would take opportunities away from Hindu BCs. “These statements are misleading. Reservations for BC Muslims also exist in BJP-ruled states, so why oppose them now?” he asked.
The Hyderabad MP called for a broader reservation policy to ensure better representation of all marginalised groups.
About the bills
Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments for Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2025: This legislation increases reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) to 42% in educational institutions and government jobs.
Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill, 2025: This bill ensures that 42% of seats in rural and urban local bodies are reserved for BCs.
With the passage of these bills, the total reservations in Telangana now stand at 67%, surpassing the Supreme Court’s previously established 50% cap on reservations.
This move aligns Telangana with states like Tamil Nadu where reservations exceed the 50 per cent limit by placing their laws in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to protect them from judicial review.
