Panchayat list stuns leaders

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Vijayawada: The final panchayat reservations list has left aspiring politicians in several surrounding villages of Vijayawada city and of various parts of the Krishna district shell shocked, while BC leaders plan to challenge the list in court. 
 
The BC leaders are wondering how the communities with lower population have got the highest number of panchayats under the reservation system.
 
The state’s biggest panchayat, Kanuru village and eight other villages have been reserved for SCs while two villages reserved for STs in Penamaluru mandal. Similarly, nine villages have been reserved for SCs, two for STs and three for BCs in Vijayawada Rural mandal. 
 
In the Ibrahimpatnam mandal, nine villages of the 14 villages have been reserved for SCs, two for STs and one for BCs. Interestingly, no single panchayat has been reserved for t he general category in three mandals in the city’s surroundings. However, 251 panchayaties have been reserved for BC categories and 258 panchayaties for SCs in the district. 
 
This strange mix has left the BC leaders, who have seen the final list, scratching their heads. Population wise, the district has more number of BCs, but more panchayats have been reserved for SCs against the common rule of proportional representation. Several BC leaders said they plan to challenge the list in court. 
 
Meanwhile, authorities defend the list, saying that the SC reservation was finalised taking the state population as a unit and BC reservation was finalised taking the district population as a unit.
 
Meanwhile, 485 panchayats, or 50 per cent of the seats, were reserved for women. This is about 160 more panchayat seats than in the last elections. 
 
The general category lost heavily, down 76 panchayats compared to the last elections. As per the total reservations, 423 panchayats were reserved for the general category and 258 for SCs, 251 for BCs and 31 for ST category.
 
AP Panchayat Sarpan-chala Sangham leader and former MLC Y.V.B. Rajendra Prasad said that the government has not followed the correct mechanism in finalising the list. He feared several BC sections and general category reservations may also be questioned in court.