SEC opposes BBMP ward delimitation

The State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday opposed the State government’s plea before the Karnataka High Court seeking permission to carry out delimitation of wards of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike before holding the elections to the civic body. The August 5 deadline set by the Supreme Court for holding elections to the BBMP cannot be adhered to if the exercise of delimitation of wards is allowed, said SEC counsel K.N. Phanindra during the hearing of the State’s plea.

Preparation of fresh electoral rolls will become mandatory if the wards were delimited as boundaries of each wards would under go change and this process would take not less than two-and-a-half months, the counsel said while pointing out that this would result in violation of the Supreme Court’s order. The government has said that it would complete by July 1 the exercise of delimitation of wards based on population figures of 2011 census and fixing reservation for all the wards. The SEC has clarified that the interests of the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes will not be affected if delimitation was done even if 2011 census population figures were considered. Also, delimitation would not result in increase in total number of wards of the BBMP, the SEC counsel said while pointing out that the claims of the Karnataka State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were false.

B.V. Nagarathna, who is hearing the plea, asked the government to mention the date on which it would provide the list of reservation of wards to the SEC while adjourning the further hearing of the case till Thursday.

‘SC’s August 5 deadline to hold polls cannot be adhered to if delimitation is allowed’