6 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Monday (January 12, 2026) recorded that the important predetermination process to Bengaluru’s civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), indispensable beryllium completed by June 30.
Bengaluru contributes 12.5% of the seats successful the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and implicit 60% of the State’s gross annually.
The Karnataka State Election Commission (SEC) undertook successful tribunal to people the last elector database by March 16, 2026. It said the predetermination process would commence from May 25, erstwhile schools and the teaching module were escaped aft the committee examinations.
The tribunal asked the State of Karnataka to people the last ward-wise preservation by February 20, 2026. The Bench stressed that nary further extensions would beryllium fixed for the behaviour of the election.
The lawsuit stemmed from an entreaty filed by the State against a 2020 High Court judgment, directing the SEC to behaviour elections for lone 198 wards of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) wrong six weeks. The State had argued that the determination nullified the unanimous volition of the State Legislature, which amended the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act of 1976, to summation the fig of wards successful Bengaluru to 243.
The State had argued that the High Court determination severely handicapped efforts to “improve municipality governance successful 1 of the largest and astir cosmopolitan cities successful India”.
The State Government had contended that the High Court absorption to behaviour elections to 198 wards was contrary to “a validly and unanimously enacted portion of authorities by the State Legislature”. It had been argued that Article 243-ZA(2) of the Constitution empowered the State Legislature to marque provisions with respect to “all matters relating to oregon successful transportation with elections to municipalities”.
In 2022, the Karnataka Government had sought much clip for the elections arsenic a delimitation of wards for the civic assemblage polls was successful its “final stage” and a “dedicated commission” was successful the process of determining the preservation to beryllium provided for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) successful the elections.
The State Government had submitted that a caller municipal corp was constituted successful Bengaluru nether the Bruhat Bangaluru Mahanagar Palike Act of 2020, which came into effect from January 11, 2021. The State had, successful a May 2022 hearing, assured that the delimitation of wards and the carving retired of OBC preservation for the polls would beryllium completed and notified successful 8 weeks.
