The Greater Bengaluru Authority office.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has notified boundaries for 369 wards in Bengaluru, but two key hurdles remain for the long-delayed elections to the five new corporations.
Revision of electoral rolls and ward reservation — both politically sensitive — are the next steps and are expected to take time.
On October 29, the State Election Commission (SEC) issued a circular to revise electoral rolls, including staff training, modifications, and house-to-house verification. The SEC set a 90-day deadline, with January 29 as the target for final publication.
A 16-day delay in final ward notification by the state government has pushed back the SEC's timeline. The commission now plans to take 90 days from receipt of ward boundaries to complete the process.
Roll revision is complicated as the SEC cannot use the state assembly rolls due to changed boundaries. New boundaries must be matched with updated rolls. Several polling booths have been split across wards, complicating the process.
State election officials say they can finish the roll revision in 90 days, with delays unlikely to exceed 10 days.
A senior Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) official said 28 Electoral Registration Officers were trained on November 1, but the process was paused pending final ward boundaries. "We will start afresh as per the SEC's instructions," he said, adding that there are about 7,800 polling stations under the GBA.
Citizens will be able to apply to add or delete their names during the revision.
The government must also announce ward reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, and women, who are expected to get 50% of the 369 seats.
Once rolls are revised and wards reserved, the SEC needs about 45 days to prepare for elections. If all goes as planned, polls may be held in April next year.
Abdul Wajid, former Congress councillor, expressed hope that elections to the five corporations would take place, noting that the matter is being monitored by the Supreme Court.
"The deputy chief minister has announced that ward reservation will be declared in December. The government has submitted an affidavit detailing the timeline to the Supreme Court. The party is planning to collect names of aspirants. The elections will surely be held," he said.
Wajid added that other states are also conducting local body elections after a long delay.