SEC gears up for BBMP polls in July last week

 The State Election Commission (SEC) is making preparations to conduct the much-delayed elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in the last week of July.

The SEC has tentatively fixed July 26 as the polling date. Announcement of calender of events for the polls is likely to be made in the last week of this month. The election process has to be completed before August 5 as per the Supreme Court order to conduct the polls in three months, sources in the SEC said.

However, the Karnataka High Court is yet to deliver its judgment on a petition seeking postponement of the election.

Sources said the State government has so far not provided the ward-reservation list to the SEC. The list is essential for the Commission to finalise the election process. It is for the first time 50 per cent of the total 198 seats will be reserved for women. The government had earlier issued a notification on April 13 finalising the ward reservation. But it was later withdrawn.

The April 13 notification was issued as per the Karnataka High Court order. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the High Court order and directed that the elections be conducted within three months. Hence, the elections have been planned as per the April 13 reservation notification. The government cannot change the reservation list, the sources said.