BENGALURU: The year’s first political test between the ruling Congress and Opposition concluded on Thursday, and marks the beginning of the poll season in Karnataka— elections to panchayats, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and many urban local bodies are expected to be held in 2026. Both parties have already geared up with meetings and strategies to make their presence stronger in the 2028 Assembly polls.
This year, polls are due for around 6,000 Gram Panchayats, 239 Taluk and 31 Zilla Panchayats, besides five corporations of GBA in Bengaluru. Mahanagara Palike polls are due in Mysuru, Davanagere, Mangaluru, Shivamogga and Tumakuru. There are 186 urban local bodies to which elections are also expected to be held this year.
Elections to the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (now GBA) were last held in 2015. The Council term ended in September 2020 and for six years, Bengaluru has not had an elected local body.
Senior Congress leader and minister Ramalinga Reddy told TNIE that the Karnataka High Court has directed the government to conduct GBA polls by June 2026. “We don’t know when the Election Commission will decide as census work has stated. We have already geared up, a few weeks ago we had called applications and received over 1,700 applications from aspirants. Now we have announced the reservation category of each ward, and aspirants have started working at the ground level,’’ he said. Asked about timing, he said they need only 40 days to be ready for polls.
The BJP, too, is poll-ready. The party has already appointed an election incharge leaders for the GBA polls. Former national general secretary Ram Madhav has been appointed election incharge, former state president of Rajasthan Satish Poonia and Maharashtra MLA Sanjay Upadhyay are election co-incharge. The party has also constituted five teams for Bengaluru— one for each corporation— and also constituency-wise teams.
The term of most Gram Panchayats ended in December 2025 and the state government has already appointed administrators in the absence of elected representatives. “Due to a severe staff crunch, one administrator is handling two to three gram panchayats. Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) are taking up people’s grievances in the absence of panchayat members.
Karnataka State Election Commission secretary H Amaresh said final voter rolls will be announced on April 18, and subsequently, a list of polling stations will also be out, both of which are major jobs. “As per the court order, we have to conduct elections before June 30,’’ he said. On panchayat polls, he said earlier delimitation or ward reservation was done by the Election Commission, but now, RDPR will be doing it. “We are ready to conduct polls anytime,’’ he said.
In Taluk Panchayats and other uban local bodies, the Commission will conduct polls once delimitation and other processes are ready.
BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his cabinet were in Davanagere South and Bagalkot constituencies, which shows their fear of losing the seats.
“In rural pockets, the situation is worse with drinking water, bad roads, no grants, and people are against the government. These issues are present in Bengaluru too. We are taking these crises to the public,” the MLC added.