Elections to all five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will be conducted between June 14 and 24 this year, Karnataka State Election Commissioner GS Sangreshi said on Friday, May 8 ruling out any possibility of postponement.
He said the schedule is being finalised in line with Supreme Court directions, which require a compliance report on the conduct of elections by June 30. Bengaluru has not had an elected civic body since 2020, with administration being handled by government-appointed officials after the term of the last elected council ended.
The last civic elections in the city were held in August 2015 under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which had 198 wards. Following the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the upcoming polls will be conducted for 369 wards. Voting will be carried out using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines.
Sangreshi said consultations were held with the state government and GBA officials before finalising the schedule. “The Commission is fully prepared to hold the elections,” he said.
According to reports, GBA representatives had requested a postponement citing the monsoon season, ongoing examinations, Census operations, Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, shortage of staff, and possible natural disruptions. However, the SEC rejected these concerns, stating that they had already been addressed in earlier correspondence.
Sangreshi said that the meeting was convened solely to finalise the election timetable and not to consider any extension. He added that the Supreme Court had issued no new directions permitting deferment, and the Commission had no authority to alter the schedule unilaterally.
The State Election Commission is expected to release the final election notification and detailed schedule within a week.
Meanwhile, GBA is likely to seek the State government’s intervention to request the SEC to approach the Supreme Court once again, seeking deferment of the civic body elections to September, citing administrative constraints and insufficient preparation time.
The development has raised concerns among corporation officials, who contend that the proposed schedule is too compressed given the acute shortage of staff and the multiple parallel responsibilities currently being handled by civic agencies.