Mysuru/ Koppal 16 May

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said with the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act having come into effect, preparations will be made for polls to multiple municipal corporations to be created within four months.

Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Urban Development portfolio, said a process will be initiated soon regarding the reservation list and the creation of multiple municipal corporations.

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act allows for the creation of up to seven municipal corporations to manage the City, and there are indications that the government may decide to form three corporations.

“We will initiate the process regarding the reservation list and division (of the city into multiple corporations) soon. We have to hold elections; there is no point in delaying them. We will make the necessary arrangements within four months,” Shivakumar said.

He said he will call an all-party meeting soon to seek suggestions on how to proceed with the division into multiple corporations.

“Taking everyone into confidence, we will move ahead, but it has been decided to hold elections as early as possible. There was a plan to add new areas (to Greater Bengaluru), but that process would cause a delay, so we can add them later,” he added.

“BJP leaders who now are opposing GBA had agreed to it during the passage of the Bill. People understand such politics,” he said in response to a question about Leader of Opposition R Ashoka’s criticisms of the Bill.

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, came into effect on 15 May, and the new Greater Bengaluru Area will be limited to the area now covered by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), according to the notification.

Meanwhile, in a change of stance Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said India should have taken a sterner stance to eliminate terrorists and to ensure that Pakistan does not support them in the future.

"When the media asked me, should we wage war? I had said that there is no need for war, but if it is necessary, war should be waged, but it was distorted and shown as though I opposed war against Pakistan," he said.