All local body polls will be held this year, says D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru: The Congress government has taken a pledge to hold all local body elections in 2026, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday. 

“In 2026, the Congress party has taken a pledge to hold all local body polls in the state,” Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, told reporters. 

Recently, Shivakumar had said that the government would have to conduct Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat elections - due since 2021 - in the next 2-3 months, and asked party leaders to prepare.

On Thursday, Congress started issuing application forms for aspirants seeking the party’s tickets for elections to five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

Shivakumar also said the government would work towards ensuring “peace and happiness” for citizens, and make efforts to bring “positive change” in their lives. 

Shivakumar said the Congress government provided good governance in 2025. He gave the examples of the Global Investors Meet, the Bengaluru Tech Summit, fulfilment of manifesto promises and key decisions in the irrigation sector such as the Upper Krishna Project, Tungabhadra and the Mekedatu projects.

Shivakumar, who is also the water resources minister, said such “historic programmes and projects had never been implemented in his 36 years as a legislator.”