A recent order by the Karnataka High Court, putting on hold elections to 198 municipal wards for six months, has brought the State Election Commission in direct confrontation with the State Government in the Supreme Court (SC). Municipal elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were due as its five-year term expired on April 22. Busy with preparations for conducting polls, the State Election Commission’s efforts suffered a jolt with the State Government’s decision to dissolve the Assembly on April 18. The move had its own political contours as the Congress that is ruling the State wanted more time to thwart fresh polls to the municipal body where the BJP has a stronghold.
The plan seemed to work for the State Government which approached a Division Bench of Karnataka High Court with a plea to stall elections for six months in order to complete delimitation of wards, restructuring of seats and notifying reserved seats as per the 2011 Census. The belated attempt by the State Government did not impress the State Election Commission. Citing its constitutional mandate to hold timely elections to civic bodies under Article 243U, the Commission through advocate Jayant Mohan claimed that the State’s action to first dissolve the municipal body just four days before its expiry of tenure was a ploy to gain control over the civic body for six months. The petition will be heard by the SC on Tuesday.
The petition stated, “Any State Government if it so desires to delay the process of elections to municipalities before the expiry of the term of office, would then dissolve such municipalities at the eleventh hour just before the expiry of term of office and gain a time period of six months.” Interestingly, the State Government had earlier assured a single Bench of the Karnataka HC to complete the process of delimitation and reserving of seats by April 13. Based on this, the single judge directed the commission to conduct elections before May 30. Instead of abiding with the HC order, the State dissolved the civic body setting at naught the constitutional mandate of the commission for holding timely elections of municipal bodies.