The Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 20, extended the deadline for conducting elections to the five Bengaluru city corporations till August 31, granting additional time to the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission (SEC).
The extension came after separate pleas filed by the state government and the SEC sought an additional three months to complete the electoral process for the municipal corporations in the Greater Bengaluru area.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi passed the order while hearing submissions by senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the Karnataka government.
The apex court had earlier, through its January 12 order, directed the state government to complete the elections by June 30, 2026. The term of the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council ended on September 30, 2020. However, the elections have remained pending since then.
In their applications before the court, both the Karnataka government and the SEC sought time till September 30, 2026, citing administrative constraints and a shortage of personnel.
The SEC submitted that while it had initiated steps to conduct the elections in compliance with the court’s directions, ongoing Census-related work, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and other administrative duties had occupied government officials responsible for assisting in the conduct of elections.
“Hence, there is a delay in holding the elections and the extension of time sought is bona fide,” the SEC stated in its plea.
The state government similarly argued that the delay was not due to financial limitations, noting that adequate funds had already been allocated and released for the electoral process.
“The extension is necessary only because of the severe lack of available staff, who are otherwise occupied with other administrative tasks. Granting this extension will ensure proper completion of these statutory obligations and adequate election preparedness,” the government submitted.
The government also informed the court that it had completed all preparatory requirements on its part, including issuing the final ward reservation notifications, and that no further procedural hurdles remained from its side.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.