Government seeks 150 days to finalize ward-wise reservation for 188 urban local bodies

Bengaluru : The Karnataka government has informed the High Court that it requires 150 days to finalize the ward-wise reservation list for over 180 urban local bodies (ULBs) whose terms are set to expire by the end of this month.

Over 65 elected representatives from various ULBs had filed petitions urging the court to direct the state government not to appoint administrators once the current term ends. They argued that the 16-month extension granted earlier for reserving president and vice-president posts should not be counted as part of their five-year tenure.

The government’s submission came before Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav’s single-judge bench during the hearing of these petitions. Representing the state, Additional Advocate General Pratima Honnapur said that around 188 urban local bodies require both ward delimitation and reservation notifications, and the process will take at least 150 days.

She explained that the government must first issue a draft notification, invite objections, resolve them, and then release the final notification, after which the list will be submitted to the State Election Commission (SEC) to initiate the election process.

However, Senior Advocate K.N. Phanindra, appearing for the SEC, opposed the delay. He cited Supreme Court directives mandating timely elections and prohibiting prolonged administration by appointed officers. He argued that only a few ULBs require ward reorganization and that the SEC should be permitted to prepare voter lists simultaneously while the reservation process is underway.

Meanwhile, Senior Advocate S. Basavaraj, representing one of the petitioners, accused the government of deliberately delaying elections. “The government seems more eager to appoint administrators than to hold polls. BBMP elections have not been held for seven to eight years, and panchayat elections have been pending for four years. If administrators are appointed again, elections will be delayed by at least another year,” he told the court.

After hearing both sides, the bench directed the state government and the SEC to hold a joint meeting on November 5 to discuss the timelines for ward reorganization, reservation, and voter list preparation. The court has adjourned the hearing to November 11 for the submission of their report.

Also Read: School Holidays: School will remain closed for 13 days in November