BBMP marks longest period without elected council

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), responsible for the city's upkeep, marked four years without an elected body on Tuesday, setting a record for the longest period in its history governed solely by bureaucrats with tacit support from legislators.

Under bureaucratic control, little progress has been made in addressing persistent issues such as malfunctioning streetlights, potholes, uncollected garbage and building violations, despite ongoing citizen activism.

The absence of elected councillors, who traditionally acted as a bridge between citizens and the administration, has led to lack of accountability and delays in civic service delivery. The monthly meetings where councillors debated project implementation and policy matters are no longer held.

The BBMP's current stint without an elected body is the longest on record. The previous instance occurred in November 2006 when the government restructured the BBMP by merging 110 villages, seven city municipal councils and one town municipal council, leading to a delay in elections until April 2010.

A similar delaying strategy was adopted in September 2020 after the BBMP council's five-year term ended.

The then-Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa proposed a new BBMP Act to replace the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, which included increasing the number of wards from 198 to 225 without altering the administrative structure.

When the Congress-led government faced pressure to hold the overdue BBMP elections in 2023, it proposed a new governance model for Bengaluru.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar introduced the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill to restructure the BBMP by breaking it down to smaller corporations and expanding its geographical boundaries. The bill has been sent to a 14-member legislative committee for review.

Former councillor NR Ramesh criticised Bengaluru MLAs, except Suresh Kumar, for pressuring the government to delay the BBMP elections. “The MLAs want to control the BBMP budget, 15th Finance Commission grants and Nagarothana funds. With councillors absent, citizens are left without recourse,” he said.