The BBMP itself may not exist for holding elections for the next term of its council, and it will be replaced by two or three new city corporations.
This was the reason cited by State Advocate-General Ravivarma Kumar to the HC for not carrying out the constitutionally mandated responsibility of delimitation of wards as per the 2011 census and fixing reservation of wards for enabling the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold polls to the BBMP’s council, whose term expires on April 21. The submissions were made before Justice B.V. Nagarathna, who is hearing petitions filed by C.K. Ramamurthy and a few other councillors seeking a direction to hold elections before April 21.
Though the A-G admitted that holding elections before the expiry of the council’s term is the mandate of the Constitution as well as the apex court’s directions, he said that the government would decide before April first week on restructuring the BBMP.
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Pointing out that a committee is expected to give its suggestions on restructuring, Mr. Kumar said that the government would decide on restructuring even in the absence of report.
If the government decided to continue with the BBMP in its present form, the process of delimitation and reservation of wards would be carried out within three months, the A-G said.
Meanwhile, K.N. Phanindra, counsel for SEC, said that it could not proceed beyond a certain point in the absence of delimitation and reservation of wards despite writing to the government in this regard several times since June 2003. However, he admitted lapses when the court questioned the SEC for not approaching the HC, as per the apex court’s direction.
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Though Justice Nagarathna reserved her verdict, the A-G said that he would submit in a sealed cover some deliberations of the government on BBMP restructuring for the court’s perusal on Wednesday.