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Karnataka seeks extension till Dec 31 (Img: Dynamite News)
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has sought an extension from the Supreme Court till December 31 to conduct elections to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) civic corporations, citing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the state government to complete the long-pending elections to Bengaluru's city corporations by August 31.
However, the state has now informed the apex court that it would not be possible to meet the deadline as the administration is fully engaged in the voter roll revision exercise.
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According to the government, nearly 56,000 officials are required to conduct the GBA elections. The same workforce, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), is currently deployed for the house-to-house Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Officials pointed out that Bengaluru has more than 1.03 crore voters, and Enumeration Forms have to be distributed, collected and verified as part of the ongoing revision of the electoral rolls. The Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner has requested the Supreme Court to extend the deadline for conducting the civic elections from August 31 to December 31.
Responding to the development, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said the government was complying with the directions of the court but acknowledged the practical difficulties arising out of the ongoing SIR exercise.
"The court has directed 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," he said.
The state government has, on earlier occasions, cited various reasons for delaying the Bengaluru civic polls. Under the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act, elections are to be held to five city corporations within the GBA. During the hearing, the Supreme Court reportedly expressed displeasure over the continued delay in conducting the Bengaluru civic body elections and questioned the state's repeated postponement of the electoral process.
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It can be noted that the Supreme Court earlier severely reprimanded the Karnataka government for employing "delaying tactics" to postpone the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) civic polls. While granting a final two-month extension to August 31, 2026, the Bench strictly warned that no further extensions will be permitted for the long-overdue elections.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi had extended the time till August 31 and made clear that no further extension would be granted. The order was passed after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Karnataka government, referred to the shortage of manpower due to the Census work and the upcoming SIR of electoral rolls in the state.
IANS mka/rad
