With HC order on BBMP polls, two-year legal battle comes to an end

With the High Court ordering elections to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council by the end of this year, a long legal battle has come to an end.

From notifying an exclusive legislation for Bengaluru to delaying the process of preparing the delimitation of wards and the reservation list, the state government found multiple reasons to delay the BBMP polls, due since September 2020.

The BBMP is currently run by senior bureaucrats, whose interaction with the general public is limited.

Former councillors and citizen groups are of the view that the Election Commission must take serious note of the tricks used by parties in power to delay elections to urban local bodies.

“The power to prepare delimitation reports and the ward reservation list should be taken away from the government and be given to an independent body that reports directly to the Election Commission,” N S Mukunda, founder member of Bengaluru Praja Vedike, told DH. “The governments neither prepare the report scientifically nor on time.”

Abdul Wajeed, former councillor and one of the petitioners in the case, said the exercise of redrawing the boundaries and finalising reservation of wards does not take two years. “The government not only delayed the elections deliberately but also misguided the court by submitting different versions on ward reservation in the Supreme Court and the High Court,” he said.

Srinivas Alavalli of Janaagraha, Bengaluru-based not-for-profit, said the delay holds a big lesson. “Mainstream political parties are not serious about the third tier of governance. Loopholes in the law are being used to delay the election. Bengaluru faced flooding and pothole problems but whom to hold responsible? The chief minister will not lose the state elections because of Bengaluru. The city has only 28 seats. I am glad the BBMP election will finally be held,” he said.

'Govt is ready'

Maintaining that the government is ready to hold the BBMP elections, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said the next steps would be discussed with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who holds the Bengaluru city development portfolio.

“We will study the court order. The government is not hesitant when it comes to the polls,” Ashoka, who has a say in Bengaluru affairs, said. He asserted that ward delimitation and reservation were done because the government is willing to hold elections.

“On reservation, should there be a committee or can officials decide? We will discuss it with the CM,” Ashoka said.

State Election Commissioner B Basavaraju also said a decision would be taken after studying the court’s order.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the civic officials had completed all election-related activities and were ready. “From our end, we had to prepare the voters’ list, call for objections and finalise it. We have completed this activity. However, citizens can still get their names added to the list. We are yet to prepare a constituency-wise list and the new names will be integrated,” Girinath said.