Hyderabad: The elevation of MLA K Shankaraiah, also known as Veerlapalli Shankar, as the chairman of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee's Other Backward Class Department (OBC) is seen as a calculated move to consolidate its power base in Telangana. This appointment by the All India Congress Committee is for the upcoming local body elections. Strengthening the BC CardWith the gram panchayat and municipal elections scheduled for 2026, the Congress party is doubling down on its Backward Classes outreach. Countering the OBC Quota backlashThe Congress government in Telangana recently faced a major political and legal hurdle when the High Court stayed its decision to provide 42% reservation for BCs in local body elections. Opposition parties Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Bharatiya Janta Party have been using this stay to claim that Congress "misled" the OBC communities.