The government will complete these processes within eight weeks as committed to the Supreme Court on Friday. The apex court bench, consisting of Justices AM Khanwilkar and JB Pardiwala, directed the State Election Commission (SEC)to start making preparations to hold elections to BBMP within a week after the notifications related to delimitation of wards and on ward-wise OBC reservations are issued.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told the media in Bengaluru that the BJP is ready to fight BBMP elections, and the government has no plans to appeal against the apex court order.
The delimitation commission has almost completed the delimitation exercise (redrawing boundaries of 243 new wards) and Justice Bhakthavatsalam commission, set up to determine ward-wise OBC reservations, will submit its report within eight weeks, the chief minister added.
The court order followed a submission from the Karnataka government that a new BBMP Act 2020 has come into force from January 2021, and it could hold polls only as per the new law. The government also submitted that it will issue relevant notifications related to delimitation of wards and on OBC reservations within eight weeks.
The court accepted the government’s submissions and asked the State Election Commission to start preparing to hold elections within a week from the date of notification of delimitation of wards and determination of OBC reservations whichever comes later.
The apex court posted the case to July 22 for further hearing.
The five-year term of the BBMP elected council ended in September 2020 after which the government appointed an administrator.
