Latest news with #GBAAct
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Draft Greater Bengaluru Authority rules allow polls within 30 days of publishing delimitation
Bengaluru: Determined to conduct the city's civic body elections under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) by the end of the calendar year, the state govt Friday notified the draft Greater Bengaluru Governance (Election) Rules, 2025. Unlike the earlier provisions, which required a minimum of 90 days to hold polls after the publication of the delimitation list, the new draft rules allow elections to be conducted within 30 days, relying on the annual electoral roll prepared by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The notification comes a day after the state cabinet approved an amendment to the recently enacted Greater Bengaluru Authority Act. "The original GBA Act mandated that the electoral list for civic polls be prepared by the state election commission. However, since the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC) Act, 1976, already permits the use of the ECI-prepared electoral list, the cabinet approved an amendment to the GBA Act to align with this provision. The change has now been incorporated in the draft rules," said an urban development department (UDD) official. Earlier, the state election commission informed the Supreme Court that it required at least 90 days from the date of publication of reservation and ward delimitation lists to conduct civic polls and flagged delays due to the state govt's failure to notify election rules. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "The apex court directed the state to notify these rules within a week. Following the cabinet's approval, the draft rules have now been issued," the UDD official added. Under the new rules, the state election commission will not be required to prepare or publish its own voters' list. Instead, it can adopt the voters' roll prepared by the chief electoral officer of Karnataka for assembly and parliamentary elections and use it directly for civic polls. Use of EVMs validated Interestingly, while Congress at the national level has questioned the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the party's govt in Karnataka has raised no objections to their use in civic polls. Alongside provisions for conducting elections using paper ballots, the draft rules also outline procedures for using EVMs in Chapter 4—mirroring the ECI's existing guidelines on their operation. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Indian Express
29-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Delimitation for five new Bengaluru city corporations from September 3: D K Shivakumar
Following the formation of five city corporations under Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the Karnataka Government will start the delimitation process for various wards from September 3, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar said Tuesday. The decision came in the wake of a draft notification issued by the Government a week ago, dividing the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) area into five smaller corporations as per the provisions of the GBA Act. The Act was passed in the budget session of the state legislature earlier this year. Addressing a news conference, Shivakumar said that the delimitation process would start from September 3. 'On November 1, 2025, a final notification on ward delimitation will be issued. Reservation (for various wards) will also be completed by then,' he said. The delimitation will pave the way for elections to be held for the five corporations — Bengaluru North City Corporation, Bengaluru South City Corporation, Bengaluru Central City Corporation, Bengaluru East City Corporation, and Bengaluru West City Corporation. 'This will be a time-bound programme,' Shivakumar said, adding that an affidavit would be submitted to court over holding elections for these bodies. The Government will also issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) detailing the modalities for converting B-khata to A-khata on August 15. The Government, in a Cabinet meeting held July 16, approved issuing A-khata (a perfect certificate for a property) for those who had B-khata certificates (properties that had some lacunae). The SOP will list out eligibility criteria to convert B-khata to A-khata, the revenue documents required for the process and other parameters, Shivakumar said. There are 24 lakh A-khata and B-khata properties in the BBMP area.
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Greater Bengaluru Authority to have 5 smaller corporations: Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar said Tuesday that the new Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) would have five city corporations under it. This comes ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Thursday where the subject is likely to be discussed, before the new corporations are notified by the government. 'We have formed the GBA. After this, we will definitely form five corporations,' he said in Bengaluru, speaking at a convention of implementation committees for the Congress government's various guarantee schemes. Shivakumar said elections would be held soon for the new bodies. There has been some opposition to dividing the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into smaller bodies, but the split is essential to improve administration in the city, he added. This announcement comes a week after a final report on earmarking the GBA area and splitting it into smaller corporations was submitted to the government. Last week, Shivakumar said the GBA would have the same territorial jurisdiction as the BBMP, which governs an area of around 700 sq km in Bengaluru Urban district. The government has decided to include new areas under GBA in the future. The report submitted to the government discussed the pros and cons of splitting BBMP into three, four or five corporations. The GBA Act passed in the budget session of legislature in March this year provided for the formation of up to seven smaller corporations to improve governance in Bengaluru city. Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, who headed a joint legislature committee on the GBA Act, had said that each of the smaller corporations was likely to have 80 to 100 corporators.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Three, four or five? Karnataka to take final call on smaller corporations under Greater Bengaluru Authority
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) could be divided between three or five smaller city corporations and the new urban body for the city–for the time being–will govern the same area as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). A final report on earmarking the GBA area along with the pros and cons of having smaller corporations was submitted to Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, he said, 'For a time period, GBA limits will be the same as those of BBMP. We will include new areas in the future.' The subject will be taken up by the Cabinet soon so that elections for local bodies under the GBA are held as soon as possible, Shivakumar added. With the decision, the government has confined the GBA within the BBMP area of around 700 sq km. The exercise to determine the boundaries of the GBA was necessitated after the government passed the GBA Act in the budget session of the state legislature in March. The Act required the state government to earmark the GBA's borders by August this year. Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad, who headed a joint legislature committee that examined the GBA Bill, said that the government was yet to take a call on whether the number of smaller corporations should be three, four, or five. 'The report presented to the government discussed the pros and cons of all possibilities–from three to five corporations. Following this, the deputy chief minister and the home minister (G Parameshwara) have given some suggestions. A final decision will be taken by next week,' he said. Arshad said that each of the smaller corporations is likely to have 80 to 100 corporators. Though the last BBMP elections were held for 198 wards, a delimitation exercise carried out in 2023 increased the number to 225. However, the delimitation was rendered invalid following the passage of the GBA Act, which will require another round of delimitation exercise before polls are held.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Proposal to include Tumakuru under Greater Bengaluru Authority soon: Karnataka Home Minister
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said Monday that a proposal will be submitted soon to the government to include Tumakuru under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). While speaking to reporters, Parameshwara pointed out that Tumakuru, which is around 70 km from Bengaluru, was growing rapidly. 'There is an industrial hub (at Tumakuru) in an area of 20,000 acre. Many are demanding that Tumakuru be expanded like Bengaluru. A study is being conducted on the issue,' he said. 'In the manner in which Ramanagar is renamed Bengaluru South, if Tumakuru is included in Greater Bengaluru, it will benefit us in terms of development. We will submit a proposal regarding the same,' Parameshwara, who is also in-charge minister for the Tumakuru district, said. The proposal came amidst demands to extend the Bengaluru Metro services to Tumakuru to boost connectivity between the two cities. The minister said the Karnataka government will take a call on extending Metro services to Tumakuru. 'Union Minister V Somanna has said that Tumakuru requires metro connectivity. Let there be both Metro and suburban rail connectivity,' he said. The Greater Bengaluru Authority was notified by the Karnataka Government last month after the GBA Act was passed in the Budget Session of the Assembly. The Act provided for the expansion of Bengaluru by including panchayats from areas neighbouring the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Multiple city corporations under GBA are also possible under the provisions of the Bill. Responding to a question on reports that he had asked for a change in portfolio, Parameshwara lashed out at media outlets for defaming him by publishing unverified reports. 'There were reports that I had asked for a change of portfolio with the chief minister (following the stampede at M Chinnaswamy stadium). Who told this to you (the media)? Please verify facts before publishing any news,' he said.
