26-04-2025
Assent granted, but when are BBMP elections?
Greater Bengaluru
BBMP elections
Greater Bengaluru Governance Act
Timeline of BBMP restructuring
Sept 22, 2014: Expert committee formed.
June 12, 2023: Expert committee reconstituted for BBMP restructuring report.
July 18, 2023: Committee restructured and renamed as the BBMP Reform Committee .
July 8, 2024: BBMP Reform Committee submits draft of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill-2024 to the government.
July 22, 2024: Cabinet approves three-tier governance structure.
July 23, 2024: Bill tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
July 25, 2024: Joint Select Committee formed to review the bill.
Aug 22, 2024: Joint Select Committee led by MLA Rizwan Arshad constituted.
Feb 21, 2025: Committee submits review report to the Speaker.
March 5, 2025: Bill reintroduced in Assembly with recommendations.
March 10, 2025: Bill passed in the Legislative Assembly.
March 12, 2025: Bill approved by the Legislative Council with amendments.
With Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot giving his assent to the creation of, the stage is set for restructuring the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The move will pave the way for forming new municipal corporations. However, experts caution that this transformation, delayed due to the absence of elected BBMP representatives for several years, could take several months, if not longer, to fully a recent affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Karnataka government announced that municipal elections in Bengaluru would be conducted only after August 15, 2025. According to the affidavit filed by Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, SR Umashankar, all related processes, including ward reservations, will be completed before then. The declaration was made during a hearing on a petition by Shivaraju regarding the long-pendingAlthough the Act permits up to nine new corporations, sources say the government is initially considering the creation of three to five. An expert committee will gather data from various departments on existing boundaries, finances, administrative structures, and resources. The committee's data collection and analysis may take at least three months, followed by an additional two months for report preparation, if said that new wards will be delineated based on the 2011 Census, using population data as a key criterion. Once wards are finalised, the reservation process will follow. A retired judge or senior bureaucrat is expected to lead the delimitation and reservation commission. Only after these steps will elections for the new corporations become the, 2024, the government will declare the formal extent of the Greater Bengaluru region, which will encompass parts of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, and Ramanagara districts. Once notified, all existing urban and rural administrative bodies—BBMP, City Municipal Councils (CMCs), and Gram Panchayats—within this jurisdiction will be new governance model will consist of three tiers: the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Municipal Corporations, and Wards. The GBA must be established within 120 days of the Act's enforcement, with provisions for up to seven Municipal Corporations, each having a maximum of 150 wards, all bearing the prefix 'Bengaluru'. The GBA will oversee the general service rules, recruitment, and appointments for Group 'A' and 'B' officers, while Municipal Corporation Commissioners will manage appointments for Group 'C' and 'D' staff, but cannot enforce disciplinary GBA will be chaired by the Chief Minister, with the Bengaluru Development Minister as Vice Chairperson. It will include ministers from Home, Urban Development, Transport, and Energy, along with MLAs from Greater Bengaluru, Mayors, Chief Commissioners, and heads of key civic agencies like BDA, BWSSB, BMTC, BMRCL, BESCOM, City Police, BMLTA, and Fire Services.
