SEC may hold BBMP polls in mid July

BENGALURU: In the wake of Supreme court directive to the state government to hold elections, the State Election Commission (SEC) is likely to hold BBMP elections in mid July this year. As per Supreme Court directive, the SEC has time till August 5 to hold polls to BBMP. However, SEC intends to conduct elections before the deadline, immediately after the grama panchayat elections.

SEC which has announced the calendar of events for the grama panchayat elections on May 29 and June 2 in two phases would need some time. The ward reservation list, with 50 per cent reservation to women by the state government, has been withdrawn after High Court divisional bench set aside the single bench order to hold elections by May 30. Subsequently, the government sought six months time from the division bench to conduct election.

Following the Supreme Court direction to the state government to hold BBMP polls in three months by quashing the division bench order, the earlier reservation list with 50 per cent reservation holds good. District-in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that Chief Minister Siddaramiah has convened a meeting with City Ministers on Friday and reservation of wards and other issues will be discussed. However, Reddy said the reservation list may see a bit of alteration.

If the government cannot bifurcate or trifurcate the BBMP, the wards will be restructured with rationalisation of population. The city would go for polls with the present set up of 198 wards, he added.

City in a mess

With the Supreme Court crushing the Congress government’s move to stall the election and divide Bengaluru by passing the order to hold elections in three months, we are back to square one.

This development means that the BBMP elections should be held in the current form of one corporation, one council, one mayor and 198 wards. While it is quite evident that in the last eight years, the city administration has worsened, whether or not the elections will do us any good is highly debatable.

Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrashekhar who was instrumental in filing Public Interest Litigation (PIL) said that the citizens must push political parties to nominate from those who will support reforms and good administration.

It is up to the citizens to get ‘clean’ corporators with no business dealings direct or through family with city government. The people of Bengaluru would now have the opportunity in the next three months to exercise their votes, he added.

Lok Satta party member Dr Meenakshi Bharat said that in the last 15 years the city’s administration and infrastructure has gone to dogs. All major and regional parties have let down the hopes of citizens of Bengaluru. Nothing is right as far as city is concerned. Be it traffic, solid waste management or roads and drains.

It is high time that the voters need to vote sensibly and pick a person who works honestly and for the welfare of the city and the people, she added.

“Voters must choose between who works hard for us in improving the infrastructure rather than who pays to us during the election time. People must look for long term gain than the short term gain, said Dr. Bharat.

CM convenes meeting of City ministers on Friday

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting of ministers of Bengaluru City at 'Krishna', his home office on May 8 at 4 pm to work out the party's strategy if elections to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have to be held within three months. A senior minister told Deccan Chronicle that the CM wished to have a dialogue with ministers from Bengaluru on how to win the elections.

"This meeting has been called basically to elicit the opinion of ministers who have been elected from Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru city".  The minister did not rule out announcing a fresh list of reservation for all 198 wards in BBMP limits since the earlier list was withdrawn recently.

There were two options before the government—one, to retain the earlier list and second, to go for a new list of reservation for all wards. The CM will take a call on this issue.