Karnataka HC directs SEC to complete BBMP polls by Mar 30
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Feb 11: In a setback to the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP regime, which has been trying to put off the long-delayed polls to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) or the greater Bangalore city corporation council on one pretext or the other, Karnataka High Court on Thursday rejected the state government’s plea for postponing the elections by six months.
A division bench of the state high court comprising Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice A S Bopanna has directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to complete the entire process of elections on or before March 30.
Turning down the state government’s request for putting off the elections, which had been delayed due to court orders following the bungling in the government’s fixing the reservation of wards, the division bench held the polls shall not be delayed under any circumstances.
Passing an order on the interlocutory applications filed by the government and the SEC seeking extension of time, the high court directed the state government to issue a notification regarding list of reservation of wards by February 20 to enable the SEC to go ahead with the holding of polls.
The SEC has been asked to commence the election process and announce the calendar of events on February 22.
The high court directed the government to furnish all the necessary infrastructure
and cooperation to the SEC to hold the polls.
It may be recalled that the Karnataka high court had earlier directed the holding of polls without delay and the SEC had already announced a calendar of events for conducting the exercise on February 21. However, the Supreme Court had stayed the electoral process following a special leave petition on the anamolies in the reservation of wards and had directed the high court to dispose of the matter expeditiously.
The Yeddyurappa regime was keen on delaying the elections until after the monsoon by at least by six months as the ruling party was reportedly jittery over its electoral prospects. The JD(S), which has entrenched itself among the voters in the newly added areas from the Bangalore rural district as also the party’s relentless campaign against the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) of Ashok Kheny had also improved its hold among the Vokkaligas in the Old Mysore region, which had unnerved the BJP leaders.
The state government had sought time, citing shortage of staff due to pre-university and SSLC examinations and also due to work relating to the ongoing 2011 census and house listing work.
The SEC, which had been ready for holding the elections, had also expressed its inability to conduct the polls as the stategovernment had not released its reservation of ward list.
It also stated that it would be difficult to hold the polls as the staff which would be busy with examinations could not be used for the polls.
In addition, the Gram Panchayat elections were also scheduled to be held in April, the SEC had stated.