Draft of BBMP wards notified, but uncertainty looms over elections

The BBMP has remained without an elected council since September 2020 and the city was left with no local representation during the Covid-19 pandemic, floods and crumbling infrastructure, including pothole-laden roads and growing traffic snarls with nearly 10 million vehicles plying the streets.

The Karnataka government has notified the draft delimitation to expand the number of wards under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) from 198 to 243, and the same will be posted in the public domain to call for any objections within the next 15 days.

The number of wards under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has been expanded from 198 to 243. (HT Archives)

However, there remains uncertainty if the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will conduct the polls for the city council as an upset in the local body elections is likely to have a bearing on the assembly elections next year, at least three people aware of the developments said.

“As a party, there is no doubt we want to conduct the elections. But there is no guarantee that it will be done so close to assembly elections,” said one BJP leader, requesting anonymity.

Bengaluru accounts for 28 out of the total 224 assembly constituencies in the state and any upset in the state capital is likely to dent the BJP’s reelection bid next year, the above-cited people said.

In May, the Karnataka government told the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case in the matter, that the elections could be held within 10 weeks. Not just new wards would be drawn, but reservations for other backward classes (OBC) will also be included, the government added.

In May, Bommai had announced the setting up of a commission to study the political representation of backward classes, headed by Justice Bhaktavatsala and retired IAS official CR Chikmath appointed as its member.

The report is yet to be submitted to the government who has refused to use the findings of the 2015 socio-economic and educational survey commissioned by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.

The BBMP, the city’s civic body, is one of India’s largest city corporation bodies with an annual budget of around ₹10,000 crore and administers an area of 800 square kms and over 12 million population.

“In the last decade, BBMP elections took place around three years before the assembly elections, but if it is conducted this time, it will be months before the 2023 polls,” said another BJP leader, also requesting anonymity.

The BBMP has remained without an elected council since September 2020 and the city was left with no local representation during the Covid-19 pandemic, floods and crumbling infrastructure, including pothole-laden roads and growing traffic snarls with nearly 10 million vehicles plying the streets.

The BJP government has maintained that it will carry out the local and urban body elections only after it can ensure reservation to other backward classes.

The BJP government has also not conducted the Zilla and Taluka Panchyati elections as this would help gauge the mood of the grassroots level workers in rural Karnataka before the assembly polls, according to a senior BJP leader.

“There are little chances that the ZP/TP elections will be held. After another month, all MLAs (irrespective of parties) will be against the conducting these elections,” said a senior BJP leader, also requesting not to be named.

The Congress party, the principal opposition in Karnataka, has stated that it will object to any unscientific delimitation or redrawing of wards as the BJP has carved the boundaries to favour their party in the upcoming polls.

“There is no clarity on how the delimitation was done as we are yet to receive the hard copy. The local revenue officers and others were not even consulted when the wards were redrawn, and the committee (for delimitation) was not even taken into confidence. Most of the delimitation work was done in offices of BJP MPs, MLAs and others, which the BBMP officials put their seal of approval on,” Ramalinga Reddy, senior Congress legislator and working president of the party, said on Friday.

“Today or tomorrow, (BBMP) elections have to be conducted no matter how much they (BJP) delay. How many more years can they delay? But the situation is that the entire delimitation was done unscientifically and without consultation of local revenue officers who used to be part of the process. First, we will check the hardcopy, and if everything is done scientifically, it’s fine, if not we will file objections and then go to court,” he added.