Elections for the municipal body have been overdue since September 2020 due to multiple factors. The process was further complicated by the Siddaramaiah government’s push to reform Bengaluru’s governance through the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, which has caused repeated delays.
Published Feb 24, 2025 | 10:20 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 24, 2025 | 10:20 PM
Synopsis: The BJP has moved the Supreme Court against the Congress-led state government, demanding immediate BBMP elections, which have been overdue since September 2020. The delay has been further compounded by the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, which aims to restructure the civic administration but has faced setbacks, with the reviewing committee now seeking an extension.
The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court of India against the Congress-led Karnataka government, seeking directions for the immediate conduct of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections.
Elections for the municipal body have been overdue since September 2020 due to multiple factors. The process was further complicated by the Siddaramaiah government’s push to reform Bengaluru’s governance through the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, which has caused repeated delays.
In a press release on Monday, 24 February, the BJP announced that state president BY Vijayendra had formed a committee to pursue the matter through legal channels. Senior advocate Sandeep Patil has been appointed to represent the party in the case.
Former BBMP mayor M Goutham Kumar, former deputy mayor R Narayana Swamy, and district president Harish are also representing the case.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Bill, 2024, aims to restructure Bengaluru’s civic administration by splitting BBMP into multiple smaller municipal corporations under a new regulatory body called the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
Spearheaded by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the bill aims to decentralise governance, improving civic infrastructure management and service delivery.
Originally introduced in August 2024, the bill was referred to a joint House committee after facing opposition protests.
The 13-member committee, chaired by Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, was initially expected to submit its report by November 2024, in time for the December legislature session. However, the panel failed to meet the deadline, and its term expired on 23 February 2025. The committee has now sought a 45-day extension to complete its review.
For the proposed restructuring to take effect, the bill must be vetted and passed in both Houses of the legislature, followed by the delimitation of wards and finalisation of reservations for the newly proposed municipal corporations.
This process is expected to take several months, likely pushing BBMP elections beyond mid-2025.
Meanwhile, the Congress government is facing mounting pressure from both within its ranks and the opposition to hold the long-overdue elections without further delay.
The BJP has accused the Congress of deliberately stalling the elections, claiming that governance reforms are being used as an excuse to postpone the polls.
Earlier this week, Transport Minister M Ramalinga Reddy stated that the elections must be held in May.
“We have to hold elections in May whether we like it or not. Otherwise, the Supreme Court will issue directions (to hold polls),” Reddy said, according to Deccan Herald.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
