Bengaluru: More than 11 years after Bengaluru last elected its civic representatives, uncertainty continues to surround elections to the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority despite the Supreme Court extending the deadline till Dec 31.The court accepted the state’s govt’s submission that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls made an earlier election impractical and directed the state not to seek any further extension. However, the revised SIR schedule has compressed the timeline, raising doubts over whether the polls can be completed before year-end.With final electoral rolls now expected only in Oct after disposal of claims and objections, authorities will have barely two months to prepare ward-wise rolls, issue notifications and conduct polling.Political observers say the hurdles are as much political as administrative. “With 2027 expected to witness a series of local body elections before political attention shifts to the 2028 assembly polls, Congress has little incentive to risk an electoral setback in Bengaluru, where BJP has traditionally remained the dominant force,” said Vishwas Shetty, political commentator. “A strong BJP performance in the civic polls could provide the opposition momentum and shape the political narrative ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.”But reluctance to restore elected civic bodies cuts across parties. A senior BJP legislator said: “Ever since the BBMP council ceased to exist, local MLAs have exercised greater influence over civic work, development funds and local administration. The return of elected corporators would inevitably dilute that authority and create another layer of political accountability.”The last BBMP election was held in Aug 2015, and the council completed its tenure in Sept 2020. Since then, Bengaluru has remained under administrators, with delays attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, ward delimitation, reservation issues, legal disputes, BBMP restructuring, enactment of the GBA Act and, most recently, the SIR exercise.But urban governance experts say the prolonged absence of elected representatives has weakened democratic accountability.“Bengaluru has been functioning without elected corporators for nearly six years, leaving citizens without their first point of contact for civic grievances,” said Anjali KM, urban governance expert. “Administrative efficiency cannot substitute representative local governance. The city needs elected representatives irrespective of which party wins. Delayed elections weaken decentralisation envisaged under the 74th Constitutional Amendment and reduce public accountability.”Anjali added: “While SIR is the immediate reason for the deferment, elections are ultimately political exercises. Every party weighs the electoral consequences before going to the people. Bengaluru assumes added significance because it shapes the political narrative for urban Karnataka.”
