BJP MLA for Shivamogga S.N. Channabasappa meeting with State Election Commissioner G.S. Sangreshi, urging him to hold elections for Shivamogga City Corporation at the earliest.
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State Election Commissioner G.S. Sangreshi said the polls for the urban local bodies will be held after the Karnataka High Court’s hearing.
The State Election Commission has filed a writ petition in the court recently on holding elections to urban local bodies, including Shivamogga City Corporation, which has no elected body for several months.
Mr. Sangreshi, in a meeting with officers of the Shivamogga City Corporation here on Friday, said the elections should have been held for Shivamogga and other urban local bodies long ago.
“The State government has not yet finalised the reservation of wards in the urban local bodies, delaying the elections. Even after repeated reminders, the government has not finalised the reservation. Now, the commission has moved the High Court against the State government, as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines,” Mr. Sangreshi said.
The Supreme Court, in a relevant case, has stated that the State Election Commission can hold the elections as per the previous reservation list if the State government fails to fix the reservation afresh. “In such a case, as per the directions of the Supreme Court, the commission has to move the High Court with a writ petition. We have filed the petition. It may come up for hearing next month. The State government will have to respond to the petition in the court. Based on the government’s response, we will go ahead,” he stated.
Kavitha Yogappanavar, Shivamogga City Corporation Commissioner, said that the corporation had made preparations for the elections. The total number of voters in the corporation, spread over 35 wards, would be 2.74 lakh. The population in the corporation limits as per the 2011 census was 3.22 lakh, and at present, it would be around 4.05 lakh. The voters’ list would be announced once the State Election Commission finalised it, she added.
Meanwhile, representatives of political parties met the State Election Commissioner and urged him to hold the elections for the corporation at the earliest.
BJP MLA for Shivamogga S.N. Channabasappa submitted a memorandum seeking elections for the corporation. The corporation has been functioning without an elected body since November 2023. The public had been facing difficulty, as there was no one to respond to their problems, he said.
He was accompanied by MLC D.S. Arun, BJP district president N.K. Jagadish, and others.
Similarly, members of Rashtra Bhaktrara Balaga met the commissioner and appealed to him to hold the elections. They were led by K.E. Kanthesh, son of former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, and former corporators M. Shankar, Suvarna Shankar, Vishwas Raju, and others.
Published – May 23, 2025 06:40 pm IST
