The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to conclude long-delayed local body elections for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and five new municipal corporations within the Greater Bengaluru Area by June 30, 2026.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice J.K. Maheshwari made it clear that the timeline is final and non-negotiable. The court also fixed February 20 as the deadline for publication of the final ward-wise reservation list by the state government.
The tenure of the last elected BBMP council ended on September 10, 2020. Since then, the civic body has been under the control of a government-appointed administrator. The delay in holding elections was challenged before the Karnataka High Court, which in December 2020 had directed the SEC to conduct elections after finalising electoral rolls.
The Karnataka government had moved the Supreme Court challenging that order. The apex court stayed the High Court’s ruling and began monitoring the poll process for BBMP and the newly created municipal corporations.
During Monday’s hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the state government, informed the court that the exercise of finalising ward-wise reservations was nearing completion. Taking note of this assurance, the court fixed February 20 as the deadline for publication of the final reservation list.
Senior advocate K.N. Phanindra, appearing for the SEC, stated that the final voter list will be published on March 16. He explained that the schedule accounts for upcoming board and college examinations, as educational institutions will serve as polling stations and teachers will be assigned election duties.
Board exams are expected to end by May. Consequently, the court said local body elections must be held after that but “in all circumstances shall be concluded before June 30, 2026.”
The elections, when held, will mark a significant expansion in Bengaluru’s civic governance. Unlike the previous elections in 2015, which covered 198 BBMP wards, the upcoming polls will be held for 369 wards across five newly demarcated corporations — an increase of 171 wards. This expansion followed the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Third Amendment Act, 2020, whose constitutional validity was upheld by the High Court.
However, the High Court had “read down” the Act, clarifying that it could not be used to defer elections that were already due under Article 243 of the Constitution.
In 2022, the Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to complete the delimitation of wards and issue notification within eight weeks. The government has since notified reservations for all 369 wards.
The Supreme Court’s order puts a definitive timeline on an election that has been delayed for over three years. With the judiciary now supervising compliance, the long-pending civic polls for Bengaluru are set to be held within the first half of 2026.
