Preparations for local polls underway: CM

SIddaramaiah said the mysore authorities has begun preparations to contain long-delayed elections to zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats, signalling that the polls could be completed by the terminate of June and restoring elected leaders at crucial levels of local governance.Speaking to reporters in Karwar during a visit to Uttara Kannada district, Siddaramaiah said the administrative groundwork was already in progress. “Various processes are being carried out to conduct local body elections, and wards need to be divided,” he said, referring to constituency restructuring required before voting can take place.The elections have been pending for nearly two to three years, primarily because of disputes over reservation quotas and delimitation of constituencies. Those disputes led to court cases, which stalled the election process. Siddaramaiah said most of those hurdles were now close to resolution, and that the reservation finalisation process was ongoing. He said the government would move ahead with announcing the election schedule once procedural requirements were completed.He also indicated that the election process had effectively begun and reiterated that the polls would be held by June. The delay has drawn criticism because the current government, which assumed office in 2023, has yet to conduct these elections. The tenure of 195 urban local bodies has already ended without fresh polls, raising concerns about the absence of elected representatives and its impact on grassroots governance.The scope of the elections is extensive. A total of 5,952 gram panchayats, 239 taluk panchayats and 31 zilla panchayats are due for elections. In addition, five city corporations are also expected to go to the polls, making it one of the largest local electoral exercises in the state in recent years.At the same time, the government’s decision to use ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines in zilla and taluk panchayat elections has triggered debate, including within the ruling Congress party.Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s rural development and panchayat raj minister, said the government was preparing to introduce the Karnataka Gram Swaraj (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to provide legal backing for the use of ballot papers. The bill is expected to be tabled in both Houses of the legislature during the budget session beginning March 6.The decision to revert to ballot papers follows a cabinet resolution adopted in September 2025 that supported their use in local body elections, citing a lack of trust in electronic voting machines.However, the move has not received unanimous support within the Congress.D. K. Suresh, a former Bengaluru Rural MP and president of the Bangalore Milk Union, questioned the shift back to paper ballots. “I don’t think it’s necessary. We’d stopped ballot papers. We’ve taken a step forward. The party high command has to decide if taking a step back is right or wrong,” he said.