New Delhi, 12 Jan

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Karnataka government and the state election body to hold the long-pending polls for Bengaluru local body by 30 June.

The tenure of the earlier elected body for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) expired on 10 September, 2020, and since then a government-appointed administrator was taking care of its day-to-day affairs.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice JK Maheshwari, which fixed the schedule for the poll process, said that the final ward-wise reservation list shall be published by the State government by 20 February, and made it clear that no further extension shall be granted.

The order was passed on a plea of the Karnataka government which has challenged the high court's December 2020 order that directed the State Election Commission to hold BBMP elections expeditiously after finalising the electoral rolls.

The top court is monitoring the compliance of its earlier orders regarding polls to the BBMP and the newly created municipal corporations within the Greater Bengaluru Area (GBA).

During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Karnataka government, submitted that the exercise of finalising and notifying ward-wise reservations is underway and will be done within a month.

The bench took the statement on record and fixed 20 February as the final deadline for publication of the list of reservations.

Senior advocate KN Phanindra, appearing for the State Election Commission (SEC), informed the court that the date for publication of the final voter list was fixed as 16 March,  keeping in mind the fixture of board and college examinations. He submitted that educational institutions will be used as polling stations and teachers will be deployed for election duties.

Phanindra added that Board examinations are likely to conclude by May end and the polls to the local bodies can be held thereafter.

The bench ordered, "The elections in all circumstances shall be concluded before June 30, 2026."

In its December 2020 judgment, the high court upheld the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Third Amendment Act, 2020, which increased the number of BBMP wards.

The high court had, however, "read down" the amendment, holding that it would not apply to elections that ought to have been held under Article 243 of the Constitution before the amendment came into effect.

On 18 December, 2020, the top court stayed the high court order, and in 2022, it asked the state government to complete the process of delimitation of wards for BBMP and to notify the same within a period of eight weeks.

The Karnataka government earlier notified reservations for 369 wards across five newly carved municipal corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area.

Unlike the previous civic body polls, which were held for 198 wards, the next elections will be held for 369 wards across five corporations, an increase of 171.