Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said preparations could no longer be delayed, given the impending publication of the revised voters’ list and the Supreme Court’s direction on holding of local body elections.
“Local body elections are due. The Election Commission will release the revised voters’ list on October 27. There is also a Supreme Court directive to hold local body elections by December 31. We must make preparations, particularly in Bengaluru. The Election Commission may announce elections at any time, and I have instructed ministers to be ready,” he said.
The CM said the Cabinet, during its meeting in Mangaluru, had decided to release funds to address road and drinking water issues at the gram panchayat level.
“We have asked MLAs to submit reports seeking funds for local infrastructure works. I also spoke to MLAs to convey festival greetings and discuss local requirements. With regard to Bengaluru, I have separately spoken to legislators from the city,” he said.
The poll preparations come after the Supreme Court, in July, accepted the state government’s request to conduct elections to Bengaluru’s five newly created city corporations in December following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan directed the state government to hold the elections in December, noting that the electoral roll revision exercise was expected to be completed by November.The elections will be the first for Bengaluru’s five municipal corporations, which formally replaced the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on September 2. Together, the new corporations comprise 369 wards.
The state government had earlier sought a four-month extension from the apex court beyond the August 31 deadline for conducting the polls.
The CM had earlier said the government was committed to conducting not only elections to Bengaluru’s corporations but also polls to all pending local bodies across the state.
“Elections to zilla panchayats, taluk panchayats and gram panchayats are also pending. At no cost will the government seek another postponement,” he had said, attributing the delay largely to the electoral roll revision exercise.
Elections to the BBMP have been delayed since the term of the elected council ended in September 2020, with the government citing various administrative and legal reasons. The creation of five separate corporations marked a major restructuring of urban governance in Bengaluru.
