The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the municipal elections for five Bengaluru city corporations, setting a new deadline of December 2026 for the polls. The apex court postponed the timeline from its previous target of August 31 to allow state authorities to complete an ongoing revision of the electoral rolls.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana issued the ruling after being briefed on an active voter list update across Karnataka.
Representing the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), senior advocate Kapil Sibal requested the postponement, noting that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is currently in progress. Sibal stated that the final voter lists are expected to be ready in November of this year.
Accepting these submissions, the Supreme Court directed that the elections for all five civic bodies take place in December 2026, immediately following the completion of the revision process.
Staff And Logistical Constraints
The GBA’s petition highlighted severe logistical and staffing bottlenecks caused by the voter list update. According to the authority, the voter revision process has fully occupied the administrative workforce and resources of the five municipal corporations.
The GBA explained that the initiative is highly labor-intensive, requiring booth-level officers to conduct door-to-door visits alongside daily management from supervisory staff up to the level of the District Election Officer.
