Electoral roll revision puts GBA timeline under strain
Bengaluru’s planned elections to the five municipal corporations formed under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) have come under fresh uncertainty after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls reportedly identified a very large number of voters in the ASD/DO (Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead and Others) category. Officials say the development could affect the Supreme Court-mandated deadline for holding polls by the end of December this year.
According to the ongoing SIR process, more than 47.15 lakh voters in the 28 Assembly constituencies that fall within the GBA area have been placed in the ASD/DO category. That figure represents roughly 45.39% of the electorate within the GBA area, against a total of about 1.03 crore registered voters in Bengaluru at the time of the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
| Statistic | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total registered voters (Bengaluru) | 1.03 crore |
| Voters in ASD/DO category (GBA area) | 47.15 lakh |
| Percentage of electorate in ASD/DO | 45.39% |
Government weighing structural changes to GBA
Faced with the scale of revisions flagged by SIR, government sources indicate the state is considering a possible reorganisation of the municipal corporation structure created under the Greater Bengaluru Governance framework. Instead of the five corporations envisaged earlier, officials are said to be exploring the option of creating only two or three corporations.
Such a change would require legislative action: sources say a Bill to amend the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act could be introduced either during the current Assembly session or in the forthcoming winter session. The state could then seek more time from the Supreme Court for holding the GBA elections on the ground that the reorganisation requires fresh administrative steps.
Officials indicate that the restructuring process itself could take at least three months, followed by delimitation and reservation of wards, which may extend the overall timeline to six months or more.
Timelines, delimitation and legal implications
Officials and government sources suggest a multi-stage process if restructuring proceeds:
- Legislative amendment to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (Bill to be tabled).
- Administrative restructuring to reduce corporations from five to two or three (estimated minimum three months).
- Delimitation and reservation of wards (potentially extending the entire exercise to six months or beyond).
Given these estimates, meeting the Supreme Court direction to complete elections to the five corporations by the end of December could become difficult, the sources said. If the government initiates the reorganisation, it is likely to approach the Supreme Court seeking additional time for conducting the municipal polls.
Local implications and next steps
The SIR-related exclusion of a substantial share of the electorate has several immediate implications for Bengaluru residents. Apart from the direct effect on voter inclusion in draft rolls and the timing of municipal elections, a reorganisation of corporations would lead to fresh delimitation and reservation exercises that will redefine local electoral boundaries and representation.
State and civic officials will now have to weigh the administrative feasibility of restructuring against the Supreme Court-imposed timeline. Any decision to alter the number of corporations will require careful coordination between the electoral machinery, civic bodies and the state legislature. For residents across Bengaluru’s wards, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether the municipal poll calendar holds or is reset pending legal approvals and administrative realignment.
