BENGALURU: The Urban Development Department (UDD) has issued extending the term of the BBMP ward delimitation committee by six months, citing the pandemic situation. With this, the delimitation of the BBMP wards and increasing them from 198 to 243 will happen only early next year.
The order, issued on Saturday, stated that the delimitation committee was given a term of six months, which ended on July 7. As it has already been three months past that deadline, the chief minister has given the committee time till January 28, 2022. The BBMP council elections can be held in February-March, only after delimitation.
According to sources in the BBMP, the order has come a week before the Supreme Court hearing on the delimitation and elections. Since the State Government has no supporting documents to explain the delay, it has cited the pandemic, they said.
The sources also claimed that the state has diverted all corporators’ and city development funds to MLAs, and if elections are to be held at this stage, there is no money to give to corporators, conduct elections or take up civic works. Another reason is that the government is waiting for the bypoll results. After that, they will decide whether elections can be held to the city corporation council, they added.