Make it quick: Government asks BBMP to submit delimitation report

After the Supreme Court order on the BBMP election, the Urban Development Department has asked the civic body to immediately submit the delimitation report to the government.

The delimitation committee, headed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner, sought at least three extensions in the last year-and-a-half to redraw the process from 198 to 243 as per the new BBMP Act that came into effect in January 2021.

The UDD letter dated May 21, 2022, reminded the delimitation committee of the Supreme Court order to complete the delimitation exercise and ward reservation list in eight weeks. It also mentioned the State Election Commission’s reminder to complete all ward delimitation formalities at the earliest enabling it to start updating the electoral rolls (voters’ list).

The committee was formed in January 2021, four months after the term of the BBMP council ended.

In the light of the two Covid-19 waves, it received a six-month extension in July 2021 and a further two months in January 2022 to complete the process. It has been close to two months since the March 2022 deadline ended.

The government is expected to make the delimitation report public to seek comments and objections from citizens.

Last week, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the report was ready. The assembly segments located in the city outskirts may get more wards in the delimitation process.

Recently, when a case concerning the BBMP polls came up in the Supreme Court, the state government said it would make all possible efforts to ensure the commission assigned for delimitation of wards and to determine the proportion of reservation would complete its work in eight weeks.

Features of the exercise

1) Delimitation exercise based on Census 2011.

2) Population of each ward, as far as practicable, to remain the same throughout Bengaluru.

3) Wards being divided within the MLA’s constituency, and no ward shall be spread over two constituencies.

4) Difference between minimum and maximum wards in each assembly constituency expected to be substantial (minimum 5 to maximum 16 wards).

5) A few assembly constituencies are expected to get more wards, and most assembly segments in the core area of the city are retaining the number of wards that existed earlier.