Karnataka: Bengaluru to have additional 27 wards?

With the BBMP elections around the corner, the Karnataka Cabinet has discussed increasing the number of wards under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike from 198 to 225.

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru civic body polls is around the corner and the Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday discussed increasing the number of wards under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) from 198 to 225.

The Cabinet has also discussed seeking permission from the high court about postponing the polls, in case ward delimitation must take place.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister JC Madhuswamy said "We have discussed increasing the number of wards under the BBMP, we will have a separate meeting for it. According to us it has to be increased to 225 wards from 198 wards now".

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Madhuswamy said “A joint select committee of the legislature is looking into the BBMP bill that the government had placed before the assembly, and so the matter will be raised at the committee meeting and accordingly a decision will be taken”.

When asked whether areas under BBMP will be increased while increasing the number of wards, the minister said, more areas will get added and more parts of Bengaluru will be considered.

Along with the number of wards increasing, the number of zones will increase from 8 to 15 zones.

A discussion on whether the tenure for mayors should be increased from 1 year to 5 years, or should a mayor be given a term of 2.5 years is also under discussion by the committee.