Hyderabad, Aug. 19 -- The ruling Congress will give Backward Classes (BC) group 42 percent reservations in the coming Telangana local body elections even if the ordinance passed by the government is not accepted by the President of India.

In view of the upcoming Telangana local body elections(likely to be held by September), the Congress government here promised to reserve 42 percent of the seats for Backwards Classes (BC) and passed the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance. It was pending approval from Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, who had sent it to the President for approval.

However, with the state high court ordering the Telangana court to hold elections by the end of September, time is running out. "We have to wait and watch...