Karnataka govt notifies 5 new civic bodies, BBMP to be phased out

Bengaluru: Karnataka government on Saturday officially notified the boundaries of five new municipal corporations, effectively signalling the end of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as a unified entity. BBMP was just 18 and witnessed only two elections.

Each new corporation — Bengaluru Central, South, East, West and North – covers an area ranging from 78 square kilometres to 168 square kilometres and comprises anywhere between two to ten assembly constituencies. Notably, the overall jurisdiction of the BBMP – which currently stands at 709 square kilometres – has remained intact though the government retains the power to expand it in the future.

The draft notification notes that factors such as population, area, population density, revenue potential and economic activities were taken into consideration at the time of redrawing the boundaries. Parts of five constituencies have been split between two corporations — a move that may invite administrative complexity and public confusion.

On April 25, the government notified Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, which is almost a year after the four-member Brand Bengaluru committee submitted its report. While the Act had prescribed anywhere between one and seven corporations, the government recently finalized five corporations for now.

Two to ten

A large part of Mahadevapura and the whole of KR Puram assembly constituencies — both areas with highest migrant population — will form Bengaluru East Corporation. Bellandur, a major contributor of revenue in terms of property tax has been carved out of Mahadevapura to bring it under Bengaluru South Corporation, which stretches from Bommanahalli and BTM Layout to Jayanagar.

RR Nagar assembly constituency has undergone a major surgery with parts being assigned to three different corporations: West, South, and North. Similarly, Padmanabhanagar and Yeshwantpur constituencies will now be split between the West and South Corporations.

Pulakeshinagar and the whole of Sarvagnanagar will be a part of Bengaluru North along with Byatarayanapura and Yelahanka, where both the BJP and the Congress may see a tight contest. Bengaluru Central corporation will have a total of six constituencies including CV Raman Nagar.

The government has provided a 30-day window to raise objections to the notification, which has been made public in the official Gazette. During this period, the government may also meet MLAs of all parties to take their inputs, a process delayed earlier due to internal developments within the Congress party in the state.

Once the final notification of a new corporation is out, the state government is expected to hold elections to the city council, which has been delayed by five years.