The High Court of Karnataka has finally cracked the whip to get the state government get its act together on conducting the much-delayed elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahaganara Palike (BBMP).
Going by the deadlines set by the court on fixing the ward reservations and also announcing the calendar of poll events, the BBMP elections are likely to be held by the first or second week of January.
On Monday, the High Court directed the state government to publish the ward reservation notification within November 30 and asked the State Election Commission (SEC) to announce the calendar of events for the BBMP polls by December 7.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice PD Dinakaran and Justice VG Sabhahit allowed an interlocutory application filed by the SEC and directed the applicant to announce the calendar of events for the BBMP elections and file a report on the same with it on or before December 7.
The SEC had filed the interlocutory application in the High Court, requesting the court to direct the government to publish the ward reservation notification.
SEC advocate KN Phaneendra submitted that the SEC was all set to hold the elections and had finished all related work including publication of the final voters’ list.
He pointed out that the court had earlier ordered to announce calendar of events on or before October 23 but a single-judge bench of the High Court had stayed the reservation guidelines issued by the urban development department.
On behalf of the state government, Advocate General Ashok Harnahalli submitted that the government would finalise the ward reservation within two weeks.
On the basis of the advocate general’s assurance, the High Court ordered the state government to publish the reservation notification within November 30.
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