Karnataka

Government likely to reintroduce Bill to split BBMP during legislature session in Bengaluru

Written by : TNM

 Two days after Supreme Court directed the State government to conduct elections for Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) within eight weeks, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government is likely to introduce the Bill which seeks to restructure the civic body in the on-going monsoon session.According to a report in Deccan Herald, the government may reintroduce the Bill in the Assembly during the legislature session that begins in Bengaluru from July 13.The government had tabled the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, in the previous special session in April. The Bill provides for altering the present united civic body into two or three divisions which, the government argues, paves way for better administration. Though the Bill had sailed through the Assembly in the previous session owing to presence of large number of Congress party members, it was stalled in the Council due to lack of strength.It was later referred to a 13-member committee headed by minister S R Patil and was directed to submit a report within three months.Independent Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekar who was one of the petitioners in the case has said that the government’s bid to introduce the Bill in the assembly is an “attempt to play fraud on court”.In a press statement, the MP has said that the eight weeks granted by the Supreme Court was meant to be utilised for election related activities and “not for political games such as trifurcation process”. Going ahead with it would warrant contempt of the Supreme Court order, he added.The apex court had on Friday directed the State Election Commission to hold BBMP polls by August 28. Following this, the SEC had relaxed the poll code of conduct until it issued fresh notification.  

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