Bengaluru: The Karnataka Municipal Council (Amendment) Bill, popularly known as BBMP Amendment Act was referred to President Pranab Mukherjee for consideration, sources in the government said. The bill, seeking to divide the city into five parts was pending with Governor Vajubai Vala for the past five days. With this development, the possibility of BBMP elections seems more certain now.
Quoting Vala’s observations, sources said the bill was not in consonance with various clauses of 74th constitutional amendment pertaining to decentralisation of urban governance. There should be a uniform policy at the national level on this issue. So, he referred the bill to President.
The government is pinning hopes now on the President to give his assent before August 3. However, considering the process of approval involved at the Union Government level, it is highly unlikely that the President’s approval would happen before August 3, when the Election Commission will notify the calendar of events for the BBMP polls. The bill sent by the governor will now go to Union Home Ministry, which would vets it before forwarding the same, along with its comments, to the President. Hence, sources said it would be unlikely that the Union Home Ministry gives its clearance before next Monday.
Last week the State Government hurriedly tabled and passed the bill in the legislature and submitted it to the Raj Bhavan for approval. The government’s plan was to get the governor’s signature before August 3 and make the BBMP non-exist. If that had happened, the government would have moved the SC seeking fresh time to constitute new bodies and then hold elections. But with this development, the government’s plan might not materialize, forcing the ruling Congress to face the elections, sources said.
