Quota decision only after polls
■ Pleas against EBC reservation pending in SC
BY THE time the Lok Sabha elections are over, the Supreme Court’s decision may be known and depending on that, the state government can take a decision.
The Telangana state government has to still take a decision on whether it will implement the 10 per cent reservation for Economically Backward Classes (EBC) in education and employment.
The TS government has welcomed the EBC reservation while demanding 12 per cent reservation for Muslims and 10 per cent reservation for Scheduled Tribes.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has still not formed his Cabinet and has just one minister. He wants to take a decision on EBC reservations after the Cabinet expansion. He wants to hold a vote-on-account Budget session in the last week of February, but before the Assembly session, he has to expand the Cabinet as the ministers have to be present in both Houses. Mr Rao may expand the Cabinet just before the Budget Session.
The Central Election Commission is likely to announce the Lok Sabha election schedule in the first week of March. Once the election schedule is announced, the model code of conduct will come into force with immediate effect, and that means the government cannot announce policy decisions.
The Chief Minister is holding back on the EBC reservation as petitions have been filled in the Supreme Court challenging the quota.
By the time the Lok Sabha elections are over, the Supreme Court’s decision may be known and depending on what the Supreme Court directs, the state government can take a decision.
The implementation of EBC reservation is a lengthy process. After the Cabinet takes a decision, the state government has to issue a notification. Then the concerned departments have to form the rules for the implementation of the quota.
The state government recently announced it was filling up 2,932 posts in government residential schools. If the recruitment is begun after the Lok Sabha elections, and before a decision is made on EBC reservations, EBCs will lose the 10 per cent reservation.