As the State Election Commission (SEC) announced that civic polls for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area will be conducted in June, former councillors said their respective parties are ready for the elections, with all preliminary groundwork completed. However, they remain divided over the SEC’s decision, presenting contrasting opinions, with some calling the move “hurried”.
For instance, Abdul Wajid, former councillor and petitioner in the Supreme Court case seeking the conduct of civic polls, said the Congress party has already completed booth-level work and finished the application process and that candidate selection is in its final stages.
“Now, all we need to do is campaign, for which planning is also underway. Our MLAs and party leaders already have candidate names in mind, and in some cases, top contenders have also been informed,” he said, adding that even Assembly election dates are announced in a similar manner, so the timing does not matter.
Turnout perspective
In contrast, G. Padmavathi, former mayor representing the Congress, opined that the SEC decided to conduct the elections on its own without taking the government into confidence.
