The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council passed a resolution urging the government to extend the term of incumbent councillors in case elections to the local body are postponed.
With the committee formed to look into bifurcation or trifurcation of BBMP seeking more time to submit its report, it is likely that the elections to the local body will be postponed, according to Padmanabha Reddy, Kacharakanahalli councillor, who mooted the private resolution. He cited similar instances of extension of term in 1988 and 1992-93.
The term of the current council will end on April 22. Several BJP councillors supported the resolution, while those in the Opposition Congress opined that it was premature to conclude that polls would be postponed.
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Ruling party councillors pointed out that between 2006 and 2010, in the absence of an elected body, the administrative rule had led to the deterioration of BBMP’s fiscal health.
They pointed out that the cash-strapped BBMP had loans totalling over Rs. 4,000 crore and pending bills to the tune of Rs. 2,000 crore.
Despite opposition from senior Congress leaders, who said it was against the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, which fixes the tenure of councillors at five years, the resolution was approved by the council.
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Congress leaders said seeking extension of term for councillors was against the Representation of the People Act and Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act