The Karnataka Cabinet has not yet decided whether Bengaluru’s upcoming local-body elections will use the voter list prepared before or after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), leaving a key part of the election process unresolved. Ministers recorded differing views during a detailed discussion on Thursday and agreed to consult the party high command before taking a final decision, according to sources cited in a report by Prajavani.
The dispute centres on whether the revised electoral roll should be used for the elections or whether authorities should rely on the list that existed before the SIR exercise. Some ministers argued that the newer list would be appropriate because the revision of a voter roll covering about 5.5 crore electors would naturally involve minor discrepancies, while others opposed that position.
Ministers who favoured the earlier list reportedly argued that the ruling alliance had conducted a major political campaign against the SIR process and that accepting the revised roll for the elections could provide an issue to other parties in the INDIA bloc and the Opposition. The Cabinet discussion therefore covered both the administrative suitability of the lists and the political consequences of choosing one over the other.
Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre said the final decision on which list would be used would be taken by the State Election Commission. He also said the local-body election issue had been discussed at length and that ministers had placed their respective views on record. The elections will be conducted using ballot papers, and the government has released funds for the exercise, he said.
The decision is time-sensitive because the Supreme Court has directed that elections to five municipal corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority jurisdiction be held by December. Khandre said the state would have to conduct the elections and could face criticism from the court if it approached it with other reasons for delay. Elections to zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats would follow, according to the report.
The voter-list decision will determine which residents are included in the electorate for these local contests and will affect the administrative preparations required by election authorities. It also places responsibility for settling the dispute with the State Election Commission, after the Cabinet records its position and consults the party leadership.
The Cabinet’s final choice and the Election Commission’s subsequent decision will establish the electoral roll to be used for the Bengaluru local-body elections. The elections to the five municipal corporations are required to be completed by December under the Supreme Court’s direction.
