State moves SC seeks extension for civic elections

THe mysore tell Election direction and the mysore authorities have approached the Supreme Court of India seeking additional time to conduct elections to Bengaluru’s newly created municipal corporations, citing staff shortages caused by electoral roll revision and Census 2026-related work.In an affidavit submitted on Monday, the poll panel said officials assigned to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Census 2026 exercises had left limited manpower available for preparations related to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections. The commission said concerns raised by the authority overseeing the city’s civic restructuring were “valid and genuine” and requested more time to complete the process.The plea comes despite an earlier Supreme Court direction requiring elections to the five corporations under the GBA to be completed before the end of June.State election commissioner G S Sangreshi had earlier indicated that polling could be held between June 14 and June 24 and had asked the GBA to clarify within a week whether it could adhere to the timeline. However, officials later said multiple government departments were simultaneously engaged in electoral roll revision, census-related surveys and house-listing exercises.A S Ponnanna, legal adviser to chief minister Siddaramaiah, said the matter had been discussed with senior Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, as the party prepares for the civic polls while awaiting the court’s decision.“If elections are to be held, we have discussed what to do from our side, including forming GBA committees and a party manifesto. We should hold the elections as per the Supreme Court directions,” Ponnanna said.He said census and electoral revision work in Bengaluru had proved difficult because many residents were unavailable during field visits or lived in locked homes, delaying the exercise.“It is a challenging task for GBA staff to conduct census and SIR in Bengaluru as many are working and unavailable, their houses are locked and this delays the process. The only solution is to go to court and explain. We are going to tell the Supreme Court how many officers we have, how many people are on SIR and census duty and how many are on leave, how much time we need and how many people are needed for GBA survey work,” he said.M Shivaraju, former corporator from Shivanagar in Mahalaxmi Layout and one of the petitioners who moved the Supreme Court last year seeking local body elections, said the government was now seeking time until September.Even as the commission seeks more time, political parties have begun treating the Bengaluru civic polls as a key test ahead of the 2028 Assembly election.The possible postponement has also coincided with efforts to complete infrastructure works across the city. According to the legislator, road and footpath works are underway and could continue for nearly three more months. The government believes completing those projects before polling could improve its electoral prospects.The Bharatiya Janata Party stepped up preparations after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met party leaders, elected representatives and aspirants during his visit to Bengaluru on Sunday. The party has scheduled a strategy meeting on May 15 to discuss candidate selection and campaign management for the GBA elections.The Indian National Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have also begun groundwork for the polls, which would be Bengaluru’s first municipal election since the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ceased to have an elected council in 2020.The stakes extend beyond city administration. Bengaluru accounts for nearly one-sixth of Karnataka’s population, contributes close to 40% of the state’s economic output and contains 28 Assembly constituencies along with four Lok Sabha seats, including Bengaluru Rural.For the Congress government, the election is expected to become a major political test for deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, who oversees the Bengaluru Development portfolio. The state of the city’s infrastructure has increasingly become linked to his administration ahead of the high-profile civic contest.