The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Karnataka government to complete the municipal corporation elections in the Greater Bengaluru Area by June 30, 2026, setting strict deadlines to ensure timely elections. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, emphasised that no further extensions would be allowed.
The apex court also instructed the state to publish the ward-wise reservation list for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) by February 20, 2026. This list is a critical precursor to finalising voter rolls and scheduling the elections. Senior advocate A M Singhvi and Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty represented the Karnataka government during the hearing.
Karnataka had earlier proposed holding the BBMP polls in February 2026, but the exact dates were not confirmed. The BBMP’s previous term expired on September 10, 2020, leaving the municipal body under administrative control for nearly six years. Senior advocate K N Phanindra, representing the State Election Commission (SEC), informed the bench that the final voters’ list would likely be published by March 16.
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The State Election Commission can initiate the election process only after the completion of delimitation and reservation tasks by the government. In its affidavit filed last July, the state assured that it could communicate the delimitation notification and reservation details to the SEC by November 30, 2025. Following this, the SEC would schedule elections according to procedure.
The Supreme Court’s intervention comes after a prolonged delay caused by disputes over ward delimitation. In December 2020, the apex court had suspended a Karnataka High Court order that proposed conducting BBMP elections for 198 wards instead of the 243 wards mandated under the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2020.
With these clear deadlines now in place, Karnataka officials are under pressure to expedite preparations. Legal experts say the court’s decision underscores the importance of timely municipal elections in ensuring democratic governance in India’s tech capital.
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