Karnataka poll panel plans to complete elections to all local bodies by Dec-end

Gadigeppa Sannabasappa Sangreshi, commissioner of the State Election Commission (SEC), on Thursday said that the Commission would announce the calendar of events for the BBMP elections once the Supreme Court decides on the issue. 

Sangreshi said the SEC was waiting for the court’s order, which is likely on August 20, and for the government to announce the reservations for the wards.  

Addressing his maiden press conference as the commissioner, he said that the SEC was contemplating to complete the elections to all local bodies in the state by the end of December. 

Elections to the BBMP are pending since 2020 and the state had completed the delimitation exercise in September 2023. As per this, BBMP now has 225 wards. 

“Issues like division of BBMP and the Greater Bengaluru Act will not come in the way of holding elections to the state’s biggest civic body,” he said in response to a question.

Sangreshi said that the commission was also waiting for the High Court to complete the hearing of the contempt petition filed by the Commission, which will be taken up on August 12. 

“The commission had filed a contempt case against the government for not releasing the reservation matrix for 1,101 wards of 30 zilla panchayats and 3,621 wards of 234 taluk panchayats. Elections to these bodies are pending since 2021,” he said.

Sangreshi said that the commission would announce election dates next week for the  Mysuru, Shivamogga and Tumakuru city corporations, based on existing reservation and the previous delimitation exercise.

The commissioner cautioned that the government was set to lose the 15th finance commission grants to the tune of Rs 2,100 crore, if the elections to local bodies weren’t completed by the end of March next year. 

“We have written a letter to the government in this regard,” he said.