Bengaluru civic polls soon? Govt releases ward reservations for 5 municipal corporations
Draft list for five Greater Bengaluru corporations released before SC hearing, provides 50 per cent women's reservation; public has 15 days to submit objections by Jan 23
The Karnataka state government, which is set to bring about a historic change in the urban governance system of Bengaluru, has released the draft ward-wise reservation list for the five municipal corporations formed under the Greater Bengaluru Authority. With this, the city's local body elections have been officially launched after a decade, and administrative processes have been expedited.
The draft notification has been issued with the aim of convincing the court that the government is serious about the election process, ahead of a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday (January 12), regarding the city's local body elections.
The reservation list has been prepared using the powers vested in the government under Section 29 of the Greater Bengaluru Administration Act, 2024, and the government has decided to submit this report to the court on Monday.
50 pc reservation for women in all categories
This time, unprecedented priority has been given to women in ward reservation, with 50 percent reservation for women in all categories including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and General Classes. This will significantly increase the competition and dominance of women candidates in the upcoming elections.
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The government has tried to maintain social justice by fairly allocating seats to SCs, STs, and Backward Classes on the basis of population.
15 days for public to submit objections
The government has given 15 days to the public or interested parties to submit any objections regarding the ward-wise draft reservation list of the five municipal corporations that has been published. Objections can be submitted to the office of the Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, by January 23.
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The government said that the final reservation list will be prepared only after considering the suggestions and objections received within the stipulated period.
Details of the wards
According to the new system, the Bengaluru West Municipal Corporation has the largest number of wards, 112, with 9 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes.
The Bengaluru South and North Municipal Corporations have 72 wards each, while the Bengaluru Central Municipal Corporation has 63 wards. The Bengaluru East Municipal Corporation, which has a minimum of 50 wards, has 25 seats for the general category.
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In all these corporations, seats have been allocated to SCs, STs, and backward classes in proportion to the population.
(This article first appeared in The Federal Karnataka)