Congress government seeks more time for Bengaluru civic polls

According to insiders, Siddaramaiah favoured conducting the elections soon, while DK Shivakumar argued that the polls should be delayed for at least three months.

Bengaluru: Fresh political tensions have surfaced in Karnataka after the Congress government moved the Supreme Court of India seeking postponement of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections until September.

The development comes at a time when the State Election Commission is reportedly preparing to announce the election schedule by June-end. Despite publicly stating that it is ready to conduct elections, the government has now sought four additional months from the apex court to complete preparations.

Sources said the issue triggered heated internal discussions within the ruling Congress camp during a meeting held in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 9. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reportedly differed sharply over the timing of the polls in the presence of party state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala.

According to insiders, Siddaramaiah favoured conducting the elections soon, while DK Shivakumar argued that the polls should be delayed for at least three months. Ministers from Bengaluru are also said to have backed Shivakumar’s position.

Chief Minister’s legal advisor A S Ponnanna defended the government’s stand, citing difficulties in completing population-related surveys and civic preparations in a rapidly growing metropolitan city like Bengaluru.

“The government is not against elections. But conducting elections in Bengaluru requires extensive groundwork. Enumeration work is ongoing, and collecting household data in the city is not easy because many people are unavailable during daytime hours. These concerns have been placed before the Supreme Court,” he said.

The opposition BJP and JD(S) have criticised the move, accusing the state government of avoiding elections due to fear of losing political ground in Bengaluru. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter in the coming days.