GBA polls likely to be held before Aug. 31

With the elevation of D.K. Shivakumar as Chief Minister of Karnataka, the much delayed civic polls in Bengaluru will likely be held within the new August 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court, multiple sources in the ruling Congress told The Hindu.

Earlier, a proposal to seek further extension of the deadline till December 31, 2026 before the apex court was being considered after the court extended the deadline from June 30 to August 31 as a “last chance”. However, the government is now unlikely to approach the court again and will likely work towards the August 31 deadline now.

Civic polls in the city have been due since September, 2020. 

A day after the Congress high command asked outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to make way for Mr. Shivakumar on May 26, the latter was to return to Bengaluru and hold a meeting on the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) poll preparedness of the party along with Randeep Surjewala, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, in charge of party affairs in the State. “The meeting may not have happened due to unavoidable circumstances. But it shows how Mr. Shivakumar wants to hit the road running and hold the polls before the Supreme Court deadline,” a close associate of the Chief Minister-designate said.

Sources in the Congress said that Mr. Shivakumar was wary of holding the GBA polls before he became Chief Minister, as he feared that the possibility of adverse results would undermine his claim to the top chair as he held charge of both the party and Bengaluru Development in the government. He also feared the power tussle could play out in the polls, damaging the prospects of the party.

“Now that he is the Chief Minister, he wants to be done with the the GBA polls within the “honeymoon phase” and proceed to holding zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat polls. Victories in these polls will consolidate his position as Chief Minister,” a former Minister from Bengaluru said.

The only concern is about holding civic polls during monsoons, when road conditions are usually bad. However, sources said that over the next two months, the government led by Mr. Shivakumar would likely pump in money, carry out roadworks on a warfooting and go for polls.