The Greater Bengaluru Authority is set to expand beyond its current 712 sq km area, with the Karnataka government preparing to bring several municipal and gram panchayat areas under its jurisdiction and create new urban local bodies in Bengaluru district, according to a report by Prajavani.
The proposed restructuring could bring about half of Bengaluru city’s 86 gram panchayats under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, while the remaining areas are expected to be reorganised into new municipalities and town municipalities. The plan is intended to give urban recognition to rapidly developing areas and prevent unplanned growth, the report said.
The areas being considered for inclusion include Anekal, Attibele, Bommasandra, Chandapura, Jigani, Chikkabanavara, Hunsamaranahalli and Konappana Agrahara as municipalities, and Doddathoguru as a town panchayat. Hebbagodi and Madanayakanahalli are among the areas identified for possible municipal status. The final list is expected to be announced after October 27, when vote counting for the Legislative Council elections for teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies is completed.
The proposal covers parts of the Bengaluru South, Yeshwanthpur, Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli and Byatarayanapura Assembly constituencies. Several of these locations have experienced rapid urbanisation around information technology campuses, industrial areas, residential developments and major transport corridors, while continuing to be administered through rural local bodies.
According to the report, local legislators have been told for about two years that several gram panchayat areas would eventually be brought under the Greater Bengaluru Authority. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had also stated during a visit to Anekal on October 23, 2025, that areas outside the five existing city corporations, with a combined population of about 25 lakh, would eventually be considered for inclusion.
The immediate administrative trigger is the decision not to publish ward reservations for Bengaluru district and taluk panchayats. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department was reportedly instructed to hold back the reservations after elected representatives raised objections over the proposed reorganisation. The state government is expected to provide the court with details of the proposed boundary changes while submitting the reservation process.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act allows the state government to include areas from Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru South and Bengaluru Rural districts within the authority through a notification. Bengaluru city district currently covers 2,196 sq km, meaning the proposed changes could place more than half of the district within the Greater Bengaluru Authority or newly formed urban local bodies.
The restructuring is also linked to municipal finances. Officials cited in the report said that many technology and industrial zones currently located in gram panchayat areas could increase the authority’s revenue if they are brought within its jurisdiction. The five existing city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority are facing financial pressures, while some urbanising gram panchayats and municipalities have stronger revenue bases.
The proposal may also reduce the number of gram panchayats in the district to about 20 and could lead to the existing five city corporations being reorganised into two or three bodies. The report did not provide the proposed boundaries, revenue assessments or the administrative formula for distributing assets, liabilities and staff between the affected local governments.
The government is expected to issue notifications on the new municipalities, town municipalities and areas proposed for inclusion after the October 27 vote count. The administration has indicated that the reorganisation and related elections could be completed by the end of January 2027, subject to the legal process and court proceedings.
