BENGALURU: Former corporators and citizens on Wednesday unanimously demanded that the State Government must hold the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council elections at the earliest. They are of the opinion that the pandemic cannot be the reason for not holding civic polls, or the exercise of buying time from the court and the Election Commission in the guise of delimitation exercise, is also known to all.
A dip-stick online survey conducted by city-based NGO Janaagraha showed that 91 per cent of the people wanted elections to be held. The opinion and analysis were shared at the discussion- #WhereIsMyCorporator, organised by Janaagraha. The discussion was part of the NGO’s 17th #CityPolitics conversation.
Deepak CN, General Secretary, Karnataka Rashtra Samithi said, “Karnataka has 11 corporations but in many, elections have not been held. The government is holding elections where they are seeing political benefits or when there is a court intervention.” K V Yashodha Rajanna, of JD(S), said that the Constitution is being violated by not holding elections within six months after the term of the council ended. “It clearly shows political tactics in the delay,” he adds.
The term of the BBMP council with 198 wards ended in September last year. Since then, no elections have been held owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Abdul Wajid, ex-corporator and Congress leader, said, “By not holding elections, the government is depriving people of their right to vote and chose their representatives. Now, the role of corporators is being managed by MLAs and MPs, who are not available for the people like the corporators. The new BBMP Act has not given anything to the city; it is not helping in conducting new elections, instead, many committees have been formed.”
Wajid commented that if the state government has to run the city, then it is better to abolish BBMP, “as the officials act on what the government says and not on what the citizens need.” Asked if the council had existed,would the issue of revision and penalty in taxes occurred, all former corporators, irrespective of the party unanimously said, “No”. Shilpa Abhilash, ex-corporator, Congress, said, “The nodal officers appointed by the government are also of little or of no use. They are not aware of the wards assigned. The ward committees do not know them and thus, the issues remain unresloved.”