The Karnataka High Court on Friday directed the State Election Commission to conduct Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections at the earliest. The bench led by Chief Justice AS Oka ordered the state election authority to submit the election schedule within 6 weeks.
The bench further said the polls will be conducted for the existing 198 wards instead of the proposed 243 wards by the civic body. In October, a joint committee of state legislators tasked with the restructuring of BBMP added 45 more city wards. But the HC's order states the elections were to be held before the amendment was enacted.
BBMP elections
The BBMP elections have been long overdue. The five-year term of the current BBMP Council had expired in September. But the elections had been deferred for the delimitation process.
Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar was in favour of postponing the polls at least till February in view of the current pandemic situation. He had argued that the polls would further the spread of the virus as door-to-door campaigning is crucial for the local body elections.
