<p>The restructuring of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bbmp">BBMP</a>) into five municipal corporations is likely to reshape city politics, long dominated by money and muscle power.</p>.<p>Smaller wards in size and population could open the door for fresh faces and smaller parties, reducing reliance on national and regional players. It may also improve voter turnout, which has remained low.</p>.<p>On July 19, the Karnataka government notified the boundaries of the five new corporations, marking the end of the BBMP’s 18-year run.</p>.<p>According to 2023 data, Bengaluru West Corporation will have the highest population (45 lakh), followed by North (31 lakh), South (30 lakh), Central (25 lakh), and East (13 lakh).</p>.<p>Once the final notification is issued, a delimitation commission is expected to be constituted to recommend the number of wards in each corporation. The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 — which replaces the BBMP Act, 2020 — allows up to 150 wards per corporation.</p>.<p>While the rationale for restructuring the BBMP remains debated, one outcome could be more accessible political spaces.</p>.Bengaluru: BBMP makes way; boundary chaos looms in five assembly segments.<p>Urbanist Ashwin Mahesh said smaller wards could encourage more candidates outside traditional parties to contest.</p>.<p>"The willingness among voters to support alternative politics has also grown. This could reflect in the results though the outcomes are hard to predict,” he said.</p>.<p>Srikanth Narasimhan, founder and general secretary of the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP), struck a cautious note.</p>.<p>"There is no clarity yet on whether the wards will actually be smaller. But if they are, it gives parties like ours a fighting chance. In 2015, when there were 198 wards, the average number of votes required to win was 7,200,” he said. "Governance also becomes easier in compact wards. Each ward should ideally have no more than 25,000 voters.”</p>.<p>Shivakumar Naidu, who contested the last BBMP polls from Domlur, said that smaller wards would favour local candidates, especially those with strong ties to residents' welfare associations. But he warned that reduced ward budgets may limit corporators’ ability to undertake development work and address grievances.</p>.<p>In the 2015 BBMP election, only eight independents won. Most seats went to the Congress, BJP, and JD(S). No election has been held since.</p>
<p>The restructuring of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bbmp">BBMP</a>) into five municipal corporations is likely to reshape city politics, long dominated by money and muscle power.</p>.<p>Smaller wards in size and population could open the door for fresh faces and smaller parties, reducing reliance on national and regional players. It may also improve voter turnout, which has remained low.</p>.<p>On July 19, the Karnataka government notified the boundaries of the five new corporations, marking the end of the BBMP’s 18-year run.</p>.<p>According to 2023 data, Bengaluru West Corporation will have the highest population (45 lakh), followed by North (31 lakh), South (30 lakh), Central (25 lakh), and East (13 lakh).</p>.<p>Once the final notification is issued, a delimitation commission is expected to be constituted to recommend the number of wards in each corporation. The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 — which replaces the BBMP Act, 2020 — allows up to 150 wards per corporation.</p>.<p>While the rationale for restructuring the BBMP remains debated, one outcome could be more accessible political spaces.</p>.Bengaluru: BBMP makes way; boundary chaos looms in five assembly segments.<p>Urbanist Ashwin Mahesh said smaller wards could encourage more candidates outside traditional parties to contest.</p>.<p>"The willingness among voters to support alternative politics has also grown. This could reflect in the results though the outcomes are hard to predict,” he said.</p>.<p>Srikanth Narasimhan, founder and general secretary of the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP), struck a cautious note.</p>.<p>"There is no clarity yet on whether the wards will actually be smaller. But if they are, it gives parties like ours a fighting chance. In 2015, when there were 198 wards, the average number of votes required to win was 7,200,” he said. "Governance also becomes easier in compact wards. Each ward should ideally have no more than 25,000 voters.”</p>.<p>Shivakumar Naidu, who contested the last BBMP polls from Domlur, said that smaller wards would favour local candidates, especially those with strong ties to residents' welfare associations. But he warned that reduced ward budgets may limit corporators’ ability to undertake development work and address grievances.</p>.<p>In the 2015 BBMP election, only eight independents won. Most seats went to the Congress, BJP, and JD(S). No election has been held since.</p>