The Supreme Court has set June 30, 2026, as the deadline for completing the election process to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), now known as the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), according to a report by LiveLaw. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the Karnataka government to publish the final ward-wise reservation by February 20, 2026, making it clear that no further extension of time would be granted.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Karnataka government, submitted that the exercise of notifying reservations would be completed within a month. Senior Advocate KN Phanindra, representing the State Election Commission (SEC), informed the court that the final voters’ list is scheduled to be published on March 16, 2026. He also told the bench that the elections could be held only towards the end of May, as schools and colleges would be available for use as polling stations only after examinations conclude. He assured the court that the SEC would schedule the elections immediately after the completion of board exams on May 26, since school premises and teachers are required for polling duties.
Taking note of these submissions, the bench directed that the elections be conducted immediately after the board examinations. “The elections in all circumstances shall be concluded before 30th June, 2026,” LiveLaw quoted the court as saying.
The matter arises from the state’s challenge to a December 4, 2020 judgment of the Karnataka High Court, which had directed the State Election Commission to hold BBMP elections expeditiously by issuing an election programme within six weeks of publishing the final electoral rolls. The Supreme Court had stayed that High Court order on December 18, 2020. In 2022, the apex court further directed the state government to complete the ward delimitation process for BBMP and notify it within eight weeks.
As reported by LiveLaw, in its December 2020 ruling, a division bench of the High Court had upheld the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Third Amendment Act, 2020, which increased the number of BBMP wards. However, the High Court had read down its applicability, holding that it would not apply to elections that ought to have been held under Article 243 of the Constitution before the amendment came into force.
The Supreme Court’s present directions were issued while hearing a batch of petitions seeking timely BBMP elections, including one filed by the State Election Commission. The Karnataka government had challenged the High Court’s direction to hold elections for 198 wards, arguing before the Supreme Court that elections should instead be conducted for 243 wards in accordance with the 2020 amendment.