K’taka gears up for local body elections, 50% seats likely for women

Bengaluru: Karnatakais preparing for a round of elections to local bodies — including district and taluk panchayats, urban local bodies, and the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority — after several years’ delay.

Both the State government and the State Election Commission have begun the groundwork, indicating that the long-pending polls may finally be held soon.

The elections are expected to be significant as the government plans to implement 50% reservation for women across all local bodies, up from the current 33%. If the proposal is approved, nearly 2,600 women could be elected to positions in gram panchayats, taluk panchayats, zilla panchayats, and the Greater Bengaluru Authority.

For Bengaluru, elections will be held for 368 wards under the new administrative structure replacing the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Political activity has already intensified within the ruling Congress, the BJP, and the JD(S), with aspirants lobbying for tickets and influential local leaders seeking to shape ward-wise and community-based reservation lists.

The State government must finalise the reservation matrix for zilla and taluk panchayat constituencies as well as for the Greater Bengaluru wards. Leaders from different communities are reportedly exerting pressure to secure favourable classifications in areas where they hold sway. Party insiders admit that lobbying has also extended to ticket allocation, with several senior leaders attempting to secure nominations for their supporters.

With elections returning after nearly five years, the list of aspirants has grown considerably, creating a challenge for party leaderships to balance winnability, caste equations, and local popularity. Committees have been formed at the district level to prepare shortlists of four probable candidates for each seat before finalising one.

Meanwhile, a procedural curiosity has emerged over who will first conduct the special revision of electoral rolls — the Central Election Commission or the State Election Commission.

The State Commission has announced that the revision process will begin on November 1, and it plans to submit the updated rolls for the Greater Bengaluru Authority to the Supreme Court before the end of November.