Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 25: The Karnataka BJP has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, demanding immediate elections for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), alleging undue delays by the state government.
Former mayors Gautham and Narayanaswamy, along with ex-deputy mayors and district president Harish, have signed the petition, BJP state chief spokesperson Ashwath Narayan confirmed on Monday.
State BJP president B Y Vijayendra had constituted a committee on the matter, which, through senior advocate Sandeep Patil, has urged the apex court to direct authorities to conduct the elections without further postponement.
The Supreme Court is set to hear the case on Tuesday, February 25. However, the Congress-led Karnataka government has told the court that civic body elections can only be held after August 15, 2025, citing the proposed Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill.
The BBMP council’s term ended in September 2020, and the absence of elected representatives for over four years has triggered criticism of bureaucratic high-handedness. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Monday that the BBMP elections must take place in May, irrespective of the challenges, to prevent Supreme Court intervention.
He blamed the BJP for past election delays, stating, “In 2008, under BJP rule, municipal elections were postponed for nearly three years. In 2020, the BJP government failed to hold polls on time.”
Meanwhile, the Congress government is pushing for the Greater Bengaluru Bill (GBB), 2024, which aims to restructure BBMP into 10 smaller corporations under the advisory of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). The bill has been referred to a 13-member joint house committee.
On December 18, 2020, the Supreme Court had suspended the Karnataka High Court’s order to conduct BBMP elections for 198 wards, instead of the expanded 243 as per the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Amendment Act.
The state government, in its latest submission, informed the Supreme Court that the revised Greater Bengaluru Bill, 2024, is expected to be tabled during the budget session beginning March 3.