Govt to hold polls to five Bengaluru Corporations & panchayats this year, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the government would hold all local body polls this year, a day after the Supreme Court mandated completion of civic polls for the five new corporations in Bengaluru by June 30.

The CM, speaking to the media in Mysuru, sounded confident of the Congress performing well in the local body polls in the face of a combined fight by the BJP-JDS.

The tie-up would not hurt the Congress as both allies may field one common candidate. The voters would choose between the Congress and the combine, Siddaramaiah said.


Deputy CM DK Shivakumar also told the media that the government would not seek extension of time to hold the polls and honour its commitment to the apex court. The state election commission has told the apex court that it would put out the final voter list by March 16.

The confidence in the words of both the CM and Dy CM stems from the impressive performance the Congress registered in the local body polls in Kerala, last month. Shivakumar is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), and as Dy CM, is also in charge of the Bengaluru affairs.

Shivakumar said the government would give necessary directions to the State Election Commission on the conduct of the elections. “We need to conduct Zilla and Taluk panchayat elections also and we will whatever is necessary under the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Constitution.”

The government would look into the complaints that women have not got adequate representation in the reservation of wards, the Dy CM said, adding that the government would not interfere in this. The Opposition BJP on Tuesday slammed the Congress saying it had deliberately messed up with reservation of wards for women.

The KPCC president said he was not bothered if the BJP & JDS would come together in the elections. There would be a direct fight if they have the same arrangement they had for the Lok Sabha polls.

The government has been postponing elections to Bengaluru’s erstwhile civic body BBMP on one pretext or the other after the five-year term of the elected council ended in September 2020. Five corporations replaced the BBMP on September 2. They will together have 369 municipal wards.

Shivakumar has asked Congress ticket aspirants to apply by January 15 with the prescribed application fee.