BENGALURU: Many corporator aspirants, former corporators and opposition MLAs took a dig at the ruling Congress government and said that they were not surprised by the extension of deadline in holding polls to the city corporations.
NR Ramesh, former corporator from Yediyur, said the elections will not happen until the assembly elections are concluded in 2028.
He also said the ward delimitation, unscientific reservation for women by denying chances to over 11 persons from Other Backward Classes, has also been questioned and a petition has been filed in a court.
“We have appealed to fix these anomalies and hold fair elections. The delimitation of wards should be based on arterial and sub-arterial roads, but the government has cut the wards based on ward roads, and in some areas, the total voters are only 9,600, which is against scientific delimitation,” said Ramesh.
Four-time Corporator Padmanabha Reddy said, “Congress has no respect for the Constitution as they have come up with the GBA, which is unconstitutional.” He added that the government has resorted to unconstitutional means only to delay local body elections.
However, former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA from Malleshwaram, Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, said the government has no escape route now. “All this while, they were giving one or the other reason and delaying, but this one was genuine. The court has extended till December 31 to complete the election process. It appears that elections to five City corporations will definitely happen,” he said.
Senior BJP Leader S Muniraju from Dasarahalli said that Congress is aware that it will lose the GBA polls and hence is avoiding the elections. In 2015, when Congress was in power, elections were held to 198 wards of BBMP, and Congress won only 77 wards.
“They stitched a partnership with JDS, considered the membership of Rajya Sabha Members, Members of the Legislative Council from Bengaluru and managed to get the number. It was an example that they would never win Bengaluru local body elections. If elections are held today, out of five corporations, the Congress may lose four, hence want to delay the elections,” said Muniraju.
Aam Aadmi Party said that this is a ploy by the MLAs. “The government is not interested in local body polls. Besides, all the city MLAs want to enjoy the funds that would otherwise go to elected corporators for development.”
LOCAL BODY POLLS BY MARCH: CM
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the GBA approached Supreme Court seeking time until December 31 to conduct the polls due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. He was speaking to the media after meeting AICC General Secretary in New Delhi on Friday. He added that besides the GBA elections, polls to district, taluk, gram panchayat and municipal local bodies are expected to be completed by the end of March, 2027. Shivakumar said the government is committed to implementing the spirit of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments to strengthen local self-governance and deepen decentralisation of power.