From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Sep 3: Even as the date for the long-delayed elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is yet to be set, the Karnataka State Election Commission (SEC) is confident of completing all its preparatory work by September 15.
The Karnataka High Court, which had asked the state government to complete the BBMP polls overdue since almost three years by the end of July and subsequently allowed postponement without fixing any time limit, is expected to set the date at its next hearing. The state government had been given a week’s time by the high court to sort out the problems in the reservation of wards before passing its final orders.
Though it is difficult to predict the high court’s decision, the government expects the high court to order the SEC to complete the exercise by October or at the latest by November, which incidentally marks the completion of three years since the last BBMP polls.
The total number of wards, when the next BBMP polls are held, would be a record 198. With nominated members and MLAs, MLCs and MPs from the BBMP areas, the total number of members in the new city corporation council would be nearly 250, which is more than the number of members in the state legislative assembly at 225, including a nominated Anglo-Indian.
The newly appointed State Election Commissioner C R Chikmath, who recently took over from M R Hegde following the latter’s retirement, has indicated that the SEC was ready with voters’ lists for all the 198 corporation wards. With the government amending the law to provide for the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) instead of the usual practice of using ballot papers, the SEC has procured the necessary EVMs, he said.
Chikmath, who held a meeting of officials, representatives of political parties and NGOs , all preparations for holding the BBMP polls with the exception of the final booth-level voters’ lists were complete.
"We will complete all the preparations by September 15, which is the time given to us,’’ he said announcing the launch of a new portal for the BBMP polls, which can be accessed at http://www.bbmpelections.info.
The portal will help voters locate their name with respect to new electoral parts and the corresponding polling station in the newly delimited ward. For conducting the BBMP elections, the voters’ list for each delimited ward has been prepared by adopting the existing voters list of assembly elections, he said.
Chikmath urged all voters in the state capital to make use of the portal to locate their names and approach the concerned authorities for corrections in the voters list, if any.
The total number of persons eligible to vote in the BBMP polls is estimated to be around 65 lakh. The Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) coverage in Bangalore was a dismal 64-65 per cent. ``It does speaks poorly of Bangalore’s image as an IT destination,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Bangalore urban district deputy commissioner G N Naik said additions, deletions and modifications to the voters list will continue till at least ten days before the last date for filing nominations for the polls. ``Addition to the electoral rolls can be made by providing details in Form No. 6 at the voters facilitation centre (VFC) and residential proof. For deletion, an application has been made out in Form No. 7,’’ he said.
He, however, lamented at the poor response from the voters for the enumeration drive that began on July 1. ``There was poor response to the drive at VFCs set up in each of the 28 assembly constituencies in the City,’’ he said.
Naik clarified that names will be deleted from the voters list only after the due process of law is completed. ``Our enumerators will go the address during the door to door survey. If the voters were not found at the address, a notice will be given in the house or to the neighbours seeking objection to their deletion from the list within seven days. Only then are names deleted,’’ he added.