Karnataka govt drops ‘Akash' ward after objections; renames 13 areas

Bengaluru: The state government has revised the names and numbers of 13 wards across the five newly formed municipal corporations, barely three weeks after finalising the delimitation of 369 wards under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

Officials said the changes were made after the delimitation commission flagged discrepancies between the government’s final notification and the commission’s report. Feedback from political leaders may have also played a key role.

One of the most significant revisions concerns the 'Aerocity' ward in the Bengaluru North City Corporation. In the final notification, the ward was listed as ‘Akash' ward, triggering controversy as the name matched that of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s son. Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath publicly objected to the naming and sought its immediate withdrawal.

The corrigendum restores the name 'Aerocity' and designates it as Ward No 02, possibly because it shares a boundary with the Yelahanka Air Force Station.

Other wards whose names or numbers have been changed include: Raja Kempegowda (01) and Chowdeshwari (03) in Bengaluru North; Shivanapalya (19), Kengeri Kote (20) and Kengeri (21) in Bengaluru West; Yarab Nagar (03) in Bengaluru South; and six wards in Bengaluru East — Anandapura (08), Basavanapura (10), Krishnanagar (11), Devasandra (12), Rajarajeshwari Temple (13), and Doddakannelli (49).

The government has also made minor boundary adjustments in parts of Bengaluru Central and South. In Central, ward boundaries have been modified for Indiranagar and New Thippasandra. In South, adjustments have been made to Doresanipalya (56), Bilekahalli (60), Garvebhavipalya (65), and Singasandra (66).

The Urban Development Department (UDD) clarified that no other changes have been made to the November 19 notification apart from those listed in the corrigendum.