Congress government files SLP in SC to delay Bengaluru civic polls

BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike ( BBMP) polls may be delayed again, with the Congress government filing a special leave petition in the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking a stay on the Karnataka High Court judgement that ordered the holding of polls within the first week of August.

The SLP, filed by advocate on record Raghupathi, has said the June 23 judgment given by Justice BV Nagarathna should be stayed. The SLP argues that the state has to fulfil its Constitutional mandate and take up delimitation of the civic body's wards and reservation for the SC-STs according to the 2011 census.

Currently, the delimitation and reservation are based on the 2001 census.

"We have said that the State Election Commission has not cooperated with us and allowed us to do the delimitation and reservation based on the 2011 figures. The number of wards for the SC-STs will increase and the city's population can be more equitably distributed if delimitation and reservation can be done now. We said we will meet the deadline given by the Supreme Court. But the High Court judgment, based on the SEC's stand, is forcing us to go against our constitutional duty. So we are filing this SLP," a source in Karnataka's legal department told ET.

The state has filed an affidavit of urgency and hopes that the apex court will hear the SLP on July 1 itself.