Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to Field 14 Candidates from SC, ST and BC Communities in MLC Polls

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced that the YSRCP party will field 14 candidates in the upcoming MLC (Member of Legislative Council) polls, which will be held on 18 seats. These candidates will be from the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Backward Community (BC). The decision was taken to empower these communities as they will constitute 80% of the seats that go to polls. Of the 14 candidates, 11 will be from the BC community, two from the SC community, and one from the ST community. Additionally, four candidates will be from the Other Castes (OC).

The Legislative council has a total strength of 58, out of which 18 seats will go vacant in March. The YSRCP has given 30 seats to leaders from SCs, STs, BCs, and minority communities out of the total 44 seats (including the 18 seats that will go vacant), while the remaining 14 seats have been given to leaders from the OCs. The chief minister claimed that the decision to field candidates from these communities is in line with the party's commitment to fair social representation.

In 2019, when CM Jagan formed his cabinet, 56% of the 25 ministers were from the SC, ST, OBC, and minority sections of the society. During the cabinet rehaul in April 2022, Jagan once again broke all records by having close to 70% of the cabinet with SC, ST, BC, and minority community leaders. This was done to ensure fair representation of all communities in the state.

According to the office of the chief minister, during Chandrababu Naidu's tenure in 2014, the cabinet saw less than 40% representation from SC, ST, BC, and minority communities, while the OCs representation was close to 60%. Jagan's decision to field candidates from these communities for the MLC polls highlights his commitment to empowering these communities and ensuring that they have fair representation in the state government.