The Karnataka government has formally notified the transition from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
However, despite this significant civic upgrade, the much-anticipated expansion of Bengaluru’s municipal limits has been put on hold. Senior government officials have confirmed that the inclusion of Bengaluru’s burgeoning peripheral areas into the BBMP fold will not proceed for now. The immediate focus is on concluding the long-overdue civic elections—pending since the BBMP corporators’ term expired in October 2020. With pressure mounting to restore electoral representation in the city, authorities have chosen to delay boundary expansion in order to expedite delimitation and reservation processes necessary for conducting polls.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar underscored the urgency of holding elections within the next four months and said that expansion at this point would only derail the delimitation exercise and complicate the legal framework for ward reservation. “Consensus has been achieved on most recommendations of the Cabinet sub-committee. The Governor has assented to the new Act. Elections will be held under existing limits to ensure timely conduct,” he stated. The BBMP’s evolution into the Greater Bengaluru Authority is part of a larger governance overhaul aimed at decentralisation and responsive urban administration. The transition has been set in motion with the implementation of the BBMP Act, 2020, which introduced structural reforms including a three-tier governance model. Passed by both Houses of the Legislature in March 2025 and assented to by the Governor on 24 April, the Act came into force officially on 15 May 2025.
While the legislative reform sets the tone for more integrated civic management, urban planners have pointed out that the delay in extending municipal boundaries leaves out key urbanised zones from formal governance frameworks. The move has raised questions about service delivery, urban equity, and fiscal decentralisation for fast-growing zones on the city’s edge that remain outside BBMP’s direct purview. Nevertheless, officials and policy analysts argue that the decision reflects a realistic administrative strategy. With ward boundaries already revised—from the originally proposed 250 wards to 243, and then revised again to 225 in 2023—the focus now is to avoid further delays caused by legal and political challenges that typically accompany boundary adjustments.
The appointment of an expert panel led by retired Chief Secretary B S Patil to examine Bengaluru’s civic structure further underscores the intent to institutionalise reforms rather than rush into jurisdictional changes. By prioritising civic polls under current limits, the government hopes to restore electoral accountability and later approach expansion with broader stakeholder consultation. This pragmatic approach could provide Bengaluru with the opportunity to stabilise its new governance architecture while paving the way for sustainable growth. As India’s tech capital continues to sprawl, ensuring equitable access to municipal services without disrupting democratic timelines may prove to be a rare balancing act in urban governance.
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