BENGALURU: Despite the Congress government’s insistence that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls will be held in December, it seems highly unlikely due to the ward reservation.
The previous BJP government had decided to create 243 wards, up from 199, in the city. However, the new Congress government decided to reduce it to 225 wards. But now, since the government has accepted the Bhaktavatsalam report on reservation, it will leave eight seats less for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Hence, the BBMP polls are likely to get further delayed.
The Congress, in its manifesto for the Assembly election, had promised to conduct the BBMP election this year itself. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy too, time and again, has said that the Congress government is ready to hold the elections to the civic body in December.
Of the five recommendations in the Bhaktavatsalam report, the government has accepted three of them. As of now, OBC category-A reservation is 33 per cent, and of the 225 wards in the 27 Assembly constituencies in BBMP limits, only 76 are reserved. But if the reservation is raised to 34.17 per cent as per the 2011 Census, then 84 seats should be reserved for OBCs.
BJP leader and former corporator N R Ramesh pointed out, “By accepting three of the five recommendations, the government had officially admitted that OBC reservation is 33 per cent. Just because the cabinet has approved the recommendations, it does not help in the BBMP election. The reservation Bill has to be placed before both Houses of the legislature and given assent to by the governor. After that, the courts and the Election Commission should be informed. But no session of the legislature is scheduled for the next one month and hence, the BBMP polls cannot be held before December 13”.
Further, he said, “Six months prior to and after the General Elections, no local body polls can be held. Hence, the BBMP polls cannot be held anytime before November 2024. As regards BBMP, the state government will be doing injustice to OBCs if it goes ahead with the reservation based on 33 per cent population as it will deprive them of about eight seats. As per the 2011 Census, the population of OBC category-A was 34.17 per cent. As per that, 84 of the 225 wards have to be reserved for BCAs. But since the Bhaktavatsalam commission report considers only 33 per cent BCAs, they will get only 76 seats, which will deny them eight seats”.
Ramesh further said, “If the state government brings in a Bill to give only 33 per cent reservation to BCAs, we will take up a legal fight and launch a protest as it will deprive BCAs of eight seats in the BBMP. The government should allocate reservation justifiably based on population”.