Bengaluru Civic Body Polls After May 25 With Ballot Papers: Karnataka EC
The Supreme Court had last week asked the Karnataka government and the state election body to hold Bengaluru local body polls by June 30
Bengaluru: Elections to the five city corporations, under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will be held after May 25 with ballot papers instead of EVMs, Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi said on Monday. He also said that that zilla and taluk Panchayat polls, that are expected later this year, will also be held using ballot papers.
"Elections will be held tentatively after May 25, after SSLC (class 10) and PUC (class 11 and 12) examinations are over," Sangreshi added.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that this time the GBA election will be held using ballot papers.
"There are two best practices to hold elections, ballot papers were used since the beginning, but since the last 20-30 years ago EVMs are being used. Use of ballot papers is not barred by law or by the judgements of the Supreme Court," he said, defending the decision to use ballot papers.
The Congress government in Karnataka in September last year had decided to recommend to the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold all the future panchayat and urban local body polls in the state using ballot paper instead of Electronic Voting Machines, claiming there is erosion of confidence and credibility, among the people towards EVMs.
Noting that developed countries like America too use ballot papers, the state's chief election commissioner said, most elections like Gram Panchayat, Cooperative polls are held using ballot papers, except Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. "However, last time the Bengaluru corporation polls in 2015 were held using EVMs," he noted.
Responding to a question whether the decision to use ballot papers was under the government's pressure, he said the state election commission is an independent constitutional body, and as law provides for elections to be held either using ballot papers or EVMs, the commission has the discretion to decide.
Sangreshi in response to a question said, Zilla and Taluk Panchayat polls will also be held using ballot papers.
"Using ballot papers is a choice. The state election commission after considering what is good in the present scenario, after discussion and thinking, felt that use of ballot papers is appropriate. Most of those voting since the last 20-30 years (in Bengaluru) have not seen ballot papers as EVMs are being used. Ballot paper is also a best practice, throughout the world it is appreciated," he said.
"Using ballot papers doesn't mean going back to old age. Ballot papers are still being used in several of our elections like for Gram Panchayat, cooperative and MLC polls," he also said.
The Supreme Court had last week asked the Karnataka government and the state election body to hold Bengaluru local body polls by June 30.
The tenure of the earlier elected body, under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) expired on September 10, 2020, and since then a government-appointed administrator was taking care of its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five new municipal corporations -- Central, East, West, North, and South-- under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in September 2025, replacing the single Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).