The Karnataka government has requested an extension from the Supreme Court until December 31 to conduct elections for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) civic corporations. This extension is sought due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Initially, the Supreme Court had instructed the state government to finish the long-pending elections for Bengaluru’s city corporations by August 31. However, the state has explained to the apex court that meeting this deadline is unfeasible as the administration is fully occupied with the voter roll revision process.
Nearly 56,000 officials are needed to carry out the GBA elections, as per the government. Currently, the same workforce, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), is engaged in the house-to-house Special Intensive Revision (SIR) activity. Bengaluru boasts over 1.03 crore voters, and as part of the ongoing electoral roll revision, Enumeration Forms must be distributed, collected, and verified. The Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority has formally requested the Supreme Court to extend the deadline for conducting the civic elections from August 31 to December 31.
In response to this situation, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated that the government is following the court’s directives but acknowledged the practical challenges stemming from the ongoing SIR exercise. He mentioned, “The court has instructed us to complete the process. There are practical difficulties due to the ongoing SIR exercise. I have left the matter to the officials. As a political party, we are preparing for the elections.” The state government has previously provided various reasons for the delay in the Bengaluru civic polls, as mandated by the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act, which requires elections for five city corporations within the GBA.
During the court proceedings, the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the continuous postponement of the Bengaluru civic body elections and questioned the state’s repeated delays in the electoral process. Notably, the Supreme Court had earlier criticized the Karnataka government for employing delaying tactics to defer the GBA civic polls. Despite granting a final two-month extension until August 31, 2026, the Bench strictly warned that no further extensions would be allowed for the long-overdue elections. The Bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, extended the deadline to August 31 and emphasized that no additional extensions would be provided. This decision came after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the Karnataka government, highlighted the shortage of manpower due to Census work and the forthcoming SIR of electoral rolls in the state.
