Delimitation exercise will delay BBMP polls by a year, poll panel tells HC

The BBMP elections will be delayed by a year if the ancillary exercise in view of the amendments to the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, is allowed.

The State Election Commission (SEC), a petitioner in the issue of holding elections to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), submitted this to the Karnataka High Court on Monday.

Representing the SEC, senior counsel K N Phaneendra submitted that the constitutional mandate to conduct the elections prevails over the amendments to an act. He cited an order of the Karnataka High Court in 1999, which ruled for holding of the elections, ignoring the ordinance amending the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act.

Earlier, Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadgi told the court that major amendments have been introduced regarding the number of wards and to ensure the wards fall within the Assembly constituency jurisdiction.

Noting that these were long-pending issues, he said the government asked the SEC to take steps such as setting up a fresh delimitation commission.

Senior advocate Ravivarma Kumar, appearing for another set of petitioners, argued that giving time to incorporate the amendments will allow the state to administer the BBMP instead of the city’s elected representatives. Since 2021 is a census year, there is a possibility that the elections could be postponed for two more years, Kumar further said.

Considering the request by the petitioners, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka allowed the petitioners to make changes to the petition, and posted the matter to October 20.

Gram panchayat polls

As for the gram panchayat elections, the High Court asked the SEC to take a stand on a request by the state that raised apprehensions in the wake of the pandemic. The direction was passed after the SEC informed that it had asked the government to place the request before the court.