New govt may review delimitation of wards; BBMP election may be delayed

Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy stated that the new government, once formed, would definitely review the delimitation

With a change in government in the state, the recent exercise of defining new boundaries for the BBMP wards may undergo review, as the Congress party has opposed both the delimitation and the ward reservation, criticising them as unscientific.

The prospect of a new delimitation exercise is likely to further postpone the BBMP elections, as the body has been without elected representatives for the past two-and-a-half years.

During the delimitation process, the government increased the number of wards from 198 to 243. However, political parties criticised this move, arguing that using the 2011 Census report as a reference for redrawing boundaries was flawed, as it did not accurately reflect the current population distribution among the wards.

There were significant discrepancies in the average population among the wards, with constituencies like Yeshwantpur and Bangalore South having around 95,000 residents per ward, while wards in Shivajinagar and Rajajinagar had as few as 35,000 residents. Moreover, there were administrative concerns due to the lack of a uniform pattern or size in the geographical boundaries of many wards, making it difficult to access the BBMP services.

The Congress, in particular, objected to the reservation of wards, as most wards in the Congress-held constituencies were reserved for women candidates. Although the high court dismissed the petition regarding ward reservation, the hearing on ward delimitation has not concluded, as the state government requested more time to submit reports.

In an interview with DH, veteran Congress leader and BTM MLA Ramalinga Reddy stated that the new government, once formed, would definitely review the delimitation and ward reservation, as both were deemed unscientific. He mentioned that the decision to review the exercise would be made after consulting with MLAs, but they have not yet discussed the matter. He also expressed the opinion that there was no need to increase the number of wards to 243.

Abdul Wajeed, a former councilor from the Congress, stated that he would request the government to reconsider the ward delimitation, while also expressing hope that the BBMP election would be held soon.

“MLAs cannot attend to the day-to-day complaints of citizens, be it garbage collection or water supply. The BBMP elections are pending. We hope it will be held at least by September or October,” he said.