SC extends Bengaluru civic polls to December due to Karnataka SIR

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Your active subscription(s)

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Products you've access to

Additional Subscription Benefits

Need help with your subscription?

The plea had cited “severe logistical challenges” due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Karnataka

Updated - July 17, 2026 03:31 pm IST - NEW DELHI

The GBA had in the past faced scathing criticism from the court, which said the local body was employing “delaying tactics” to postpone civic polls in Bengaluru. File. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain

The Supreme Court allowed separate pleas from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and even the Karnataka State Election Commission, to extend the deadline for the conduct of elections to 369 wards across five city corporations in Bengaluru to December 2026.

The plea had cited “severe logistical challenges” due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Karnataka.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, on a lighter note, asked the GBA if it would give another reason in December for a further extension.

The polls has in the past been repeatedly postponed for one reason or the other. The court had finally lost patience, giving the GBA a final opportunity to hold the election by August 31, 2026.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the GBA, conveyed his personal disapproval, saying he would not appear for the civic body if it attempts to seek another extension in December.

The GBA had in the past faced scathing criticism from the court, which said the local body was employing “delaying tactics” to postpone civic polls in Bengaluru.

This time the GBA, in an application filed on July 9, 2026, said the whole administrative machinery and human resources of the five city corporations were fully engaged in the SIR exercise. The SIR required the services of 8,872 booth level officers, 938 booth level officers’ supervisors, 28 election registration officers, 75 assistant election registration officers, besides nodal officers, observers, trainers, resource persons, etc. Personnel had been drawn from Municipal Corporations, GBA and other bodies.

It said Bengaluru alone accounted for over 1.03 crore voters, constituting approximately 1/6th of the 5.54 crore total voters in the State. The electorate was spread across approximately 40 lakh residences, requiring the absolute and undivided commitment of booth level officers, staff and officers of the GBA, the five city Corporations and other departments.

The final electoral roll is scheduled to come out on October 7 in Karnataka.

“SIR is an extremely manpower intensive exercise entailing house-to-house visits by the booth level officers and also requires day to day involvement of complete supervisory structure involving other officers at all levels up to District Election Officer…The GBA faces severe logistical challenges,” the Civic Body had said.

Published - July 17, 2026 01:17 pm IST

Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.