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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengaluru civic polls unlikely this year; govt to file affidavit in SC
Bengaluru: Long-delayed civic elections for Bengaluru city are unlikely to be held this year, with govt officials conceding that key formalities mandated under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBG Act), 2024, may not be completed in time. Civic agency polls, overdue since Sept 2020, are now set to be pushed into 2026 owing to the complex exercise of dividing the city into five new municipal corporations and creating fresh ward boundaries. The state govt, in its submission to the Supreme Court Monday, said it needs time till Nov 1 to complete delimitation and formation of new wards in accordance with the GBG Act. The court, which scheduled the next hearing for Aug 4, has directed the govt to file an affidavit confirming its timeline commitment by then. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "Our govt is keen on ensuring civic polls at the earliest, with the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which is for the greater good of the city," said deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar , who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio. "The decision on formation of GBA has been taken keeping in mind geographical, administrative and economic aspects. As far as civic elections are concerned, we will submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court very soon." However, officials privately admit that even an early 2026 timeline is optimistic. The govt must finalise a reservation matrix for newly created wards after completing the delimitation of each of the five proposed corporations. Only then can the State Election Commission (SEC) begin work on electoral rolls. "We have told the Supreme Court that we need three months to finalise electoral rolls," said GS Sangreshi, state election commissioner. "We will begin the exercise soon after the govt completes the delimitation exercise for new wards. While the govt is committed to completing it by Nov, we expect it to file the affidavit accordingly. If it fails to keep this deadline, then we will think about filing a contempt suit against it in the apex court. " On July 18, the govt issued a draft notification to create five city corporations. Citizens have been invited to file objections or suggestions before Aug 18. Officials said the urban development department will vet these responses till Sept 2, following which final notification will be issued. Each corporation will have 90 wards, with an average population of 30,000 per ward. Despite the tight timelines, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, who headed a legislature committee on the GBG Bill, remains hopeful: "The govt has decided to work on a warfooting to complete all pending procedures before Nov. We will request the election commission to hold the polls by Dec. It is a herculean task, but I think it can be achieved."
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
While govt dithers on implementing Greater Bengaluru Act, BJP moves court seeking polls to BBMP
Bengaluru: The Supreme Court's order to Maharashtra's State Election Commission to notify local body polls within four months Tuesday has offered a glimmer of hope that long-delayed elections to the civic agency in Bengaluru would be held soon. However, the issue is whether polls would be held under the new Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA) or Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) a bunch of petitions seeking a direction to the govt to conduct civic polls is pending before the Supreme Court, three BJP functionaries — Guatham Kumar, Narayanaswamy (both former mayors) and former deputy mayor S Harish — have impleded with the prayer that the civic polls be held under the BBMP passage of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA) has left polls hanging in the balance. Although it is more than 15 days since governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot gave his assent to the GBG Bill and the govt notified it in its gazette, the urban development department (UDD) appears to be dithering on implementing it and is yet to announce the 'appointed day' (from when the legislation comes into force). This has cast a shadow on city civic polls, which have been delayed by more than four years.A senior UDD official explained that, technically, BBMP Act remains in force and that the govt will have to conduct elections to existing BBMP seats if the Supreme Court orders elections immediately. "But we are working to implement GBGA and the appointed day will be announced soon," the official leader of opposition R Ashoka of BJP said he has consulted legal experts and will soon challenge the GBG Act in court. Former deputy mayor Harish claimed the govt "has no intention of facilitating civic elections". "The move to bring in GBG Act is just a ploy to delay elections further. We will bring this to the court's notice," he after GBG Act was signed into law on April 24, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, had said that he would hold an all-party meeting to discuss its implementation. The objective was to build consensus and pave the way for civic body elections. But Shivakumar is yet to hold that joint house committee that scrutinised the GBG Bill had set a 120-day deadline to implement its provisions once it was enacted. This entails identifying the Greater Bengaluru area, creating new city corporations (up to seven) and identifying new wards within each corporation."We know 15 days have gone by, but steps are being taken by UDD to announce the appointed day," said Rizwan Arshad, Congress MLA who headed the joint house committee. "Procedures to implement the new Act will be expedited. The govt's intention to facilitate elections within four to six months from now will be achieved."
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengaluru turns into banner battlefield as flexes, cutouts return with a bang
Bengaluru: With many believing the Governor's nod to the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Bill will necessitate the much-delayed civic body polls in the tech capital, aspiring political candidates are racing to plaster their face across every available inch of public space with flex-boards, giant cutouts, and banners! While some cutouts are as tall as 30ft and placed dangerously close to the carriageway at busy traffic intersections, a few flex boards have been placed in such a way that the pavements have become inaccessible to pedestrians and roads have become risky for motorists. Interestingly, these flex boards and cutouts have only festive greetings of birthday wishes. But what is appalling is the stoic silence and inaction by BBMP, traffic police, and the judiciary to the choking of the cityscape. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "The menace of flex is back; it's big this time. From Govindaraj Nagar to Gottigere or from Kadugodi to Kengeri, city roads are dotted with unauthorised flex boards and cutouts. These aren't only an eyesore but also dangerous," said Rohith N, a marketing professional who travels around 70km daily. Moreover, these flex boards and cutouts have become bigger; each has photos of 10-15 supporters cheering for their leader! In fact, just last week, a huge cutout erected on a bridge near Nagarabhavi area collapsed on a car moving on the road below and injured four persons. But the big question is: Why are these flex boards and cutouts back despite strict warnings from the high court in the past? A senior BBMP official pointed towards elected representatives and claimed helplessness. "The central character in all photos is a minister or an MLA, and what is at play is sycophancy. With many aspirants for councillor posts believing that BBMP polls can't be delayed any further following the Governor's green signal for the GBG Bill, they are rushing to grab attention of the local MLA or minister, to help them secure party ticket. This apart, flexes and banners also increase visibility for aspirants in the run-up to polls," the official said. In Vjayanagar and Govindarajnagar constituencies, the supporters of sitting MLAs Krishnappa and his son Priyakrishna put up flex boards at important traffic junctions and roads to wish the father-son duo on their birthdays (April 16 and 27, respectively). Priyakrishna had to announce that he wasn't celebrating his birthday in public, given the Kashmir terror attack, and appeal to his men not to overdo things. In the tech-corridor of Marathahalli-Mahadevapura, flex boards keep cropping up even after being removed following complaints from civilians. On the outskirts, people have come to terms with the menace. BBMP, despite having a zero-flex policy, hasn't been able to crack down effectively. Erecting flexes or cutouts has been banned since 2018 following a Karnataka high court directive. "We've been cracking down on illegal posters and banners, but we can't afford to antagonise any politician in the current set-up," a BBMP engineer countered when asked why illegal posters and banners aren't pulled down. According to the civic body, around 11,000 flex boards were removed and Rs 2.7 lakh penalty collected between Aug 1, 2024 and mid-Jan this year. Recently, BBMP issued a revised SOP where special teams, working with police, would remove illegal advertisements 24x7, register FIRs against offenders, and recover removal costs as property tax dues. Police are directed to assist the BBMP teams and arrest violators, if needed. However, there is no mention of any timeline on when this SOP will come into action.
