Civic polls in the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) are likely to be held in the middle of next year, according to well-placed government sources.
The Cabinet, which met on Thursday, reportedly discussed the matter and tentatively agreed upon suggesting April or May, 2026, to the Election Commission to hold polls, a source said. The GBA is currently working on the reservation roster for 369 wards across the five city corporations.
The State government has committed to notifying the reservation by December 15 and is expected to do so. After the formal inauguration of the GBA on September 2, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had announced that the delimitation committee, headed by the GBA Chief Commissioner, would complete the delimitation and reservation process by November 30.
However, a source in the GBA said the process was delayed owing to the Social and Education Survey and other important works. The reservation process is now in its final stages and will be completed soon.
If all goes as planned, the civic polls, already delayed by five years, will finally be held in 2026. Another GBA source said that panchayat polls will have to be conducted first, after which elections for the newly formed five corporations will be held.
Meanwhile, political parties have begun groundwork for the polls and are searching for suitable candidates.
Earlier, a senior Congress leader had told The Hindu that candidate selection would be a herculean task this time, as new wards have been formed and new faces have emerged over the past few years. Hinting at elections around the corner, civic issues in Bengaluru became a hot topic last month, with many party leaders launching various campaigns against ongoing and proposed projects in the city.
Published – December 12, 2025 09:34 pm IST
