Local body elections expected within a year

The State Election Commissioner, G.S. Sangreshi, announced that elections for local bodies in the state, including zilla and taluk panchayats and city corporations, are expected to take place within the next year. He shared this update with reporters in Mysuru after meetings with officials from the Mysuru City Corporation. Sangreshi mentioned that the state government has promised the High Court to publish the reservation list for zilla and taluk panchayats by May 31. The State Election Commission plans to set the election dates soon after this list is released. Elections for five city corporations, including Mysuru, will also occur later. He noted that elections for at least three city corporations are overdue by more than a year. Sangreshi expressed hope that all five city corporation elections could happen this year if the reservation list is provided on time. If the state government fails to release the new reservation list promptly, the State Election Commission might have to seek permission from the High Court to proceed with elections based on the old list. Although there is no official deadline for the new list, Sangreshi stressed that election preparations should ideally start six months before the end of the current term. He indicated that the ongoing preparation of the state budget may have delayed the reservation list's release. Sangreshi also confirmed that elections for gram panchayats are expected in the next year. Regarding the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike elections, he mentioned that the situation is complicated due to a pending case in the Supreme Court.