Maheshwar Rao appointed as new chief commissioner of Bengaluru civic body

Rao, who currently serves as the MD of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), will now hold additional charge as the BBMP Chief Commissioner.

In a major administrative reshuffle, the Karnataka government has appointed Maheshwar Rao M as the new Chief Commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Times of India reported.

Bengaluru has been without an elected municipal body or mayor for over five years.

Rao, who currently serves as the Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), will now hold additional charge as the BBMP Chief Commissioner.

Rao replaces Tushar Giri Nath, who has been posted as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Urban Development Department. Nath will concurrently hold the charge of Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and BBMP Administrator, following the retirement of Umashankar S R on April 30.

The government notification further clarified that the posts of BBMP Chief Commissioner and BBMP Administrator are now deemed equivalent in status and responsibilities to the cadre post of Additional Chief Secretary, in line with the provisions under the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) rules.

BBMP elections

Bengaluru has been without an elected municipal body or mayor for over five years. The last elections for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were held in August 2015, and the council's term ended in September 2020.

Elections, originally due in 2020, have been repeatedly postponed, with officials citing reasons such as the Covid-19 pandemic, delays in ward delimitation, and disputes over reservation of wards.

In February this year, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar urged party members and leaders to gear up for the upcoming local body elections in the state, including the long-pending Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls, saying they could be announced at any time.

On the BBMP elections, he noted that the legislative panel reviewing the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, chaired by MLA Rizwan Arshad, had gathered public feedback and was expected to submit its report soon. "Polls can be declared at any moment, so we must be fully prepared," Shivakumar said, adding that he would form region-specific committees for the local body elections, including zilla panchayats, taluk panchayats, and municipal corporations. These committees, led by the party’s working presidents and vice presidents, would visit different regions before March to oversee coordination, seat reservations, candidate selection, and report their findings, he added.