Bengaluru: BBMP makes way; boundary chaos looms in five assembly segments

Bengaluru: Five Assembly constituencies have been carved up and split across multiple corporations, as the state government moves ahead with its plan to dismantle the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The government has however retained the boundaries of 22 Assembly segments while forming the new municipal bodies, which is expected to come into effect in a month’s time. 

RR Nagar constituency has undergone the most redistricting, while the Bellandur ward has been carved out of the Mahadevapura constituency.

The newly-carved Bengaluru West Corporation — despite encompassing ten assembly constituencies, including Basavanagudi — remains the lowest property tax contributor. In contrast, the East Corporation — which includes two geographically large areas — is the highest property tax contributor among the five. Bengaluru North Corporation stands out as an anomaly, stretching from the core area of Pulakeshinagar all the way to Yelahanka and Byatarayanapura.

It was expected that the old Bengaluru Municipal Corporation (BMC) area — which spanned 228 square kilometres — would be restored, while the city’s outskirts would be reorganised into four new corporations in different directions of Bengaluru. The final notification has limited Bengaluru Central Corporation to less than 100 square kilometres as the state government dropped its plan of including panchayat limits into the corporation limits owing to political pressure.     

The Brand Bengaluru Expert Committee — which played a key role in drafting the report — noted that it evaluated 15 simulation options based on various considerations before finalising the new boundaries. The committee observed that if major and arterial roads were used as boundaries, 24 assembly constituencies would have had to be split.

Comprising members such as former IAS officer B S Patil and civic evangelist V Ravichandar, the committee based its recommendations on 2023 population estimates sourced from the district election office (DEO) and 2025 property tax projections provided by BBMP in an attempt to make corporations financially independent. 

During the simulations, the committee found that eastern areas of the city had lower population but higher revenue, while western areas had higher population but lower revenue. 

Former councillor and BJP leader N R Ramesh wondered what was the necessity to re-structure the BBMP into multiple corporations when other cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and New Delhi are managing with one corporation.

“I foresee major administrative challenges in Bengaluru West Corporation as it does not have much economic activity while North and East corporations will propose along with the real estate boom,” he said.