Bengaluru civic body polls will be held after May 25 with ballot papers: State EC
Bengaluru (PTI): 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 zilla and taluk Panchayat polls, which 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, and before June 30," Sangreshi added.
The Supreme Court had last week asked the Karnataka government and the state election body to hold Bengaluru local body polls by June 30.
Speaking to reporters here, the Commissioner said, this time the GBA election will be held using ballot papers.
"There are two best practices to hold elections, ballot papers were being used since the beginning, but since 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 and 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 SEC 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 ago (in Bengaluru) have not seen ballot papers as EVMs are being used. Ballot paper is also a best practice, and 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 Gram Panchayat, cooperative and MLC polls," he also said.
Stating that according to him both ballot papers and EVMs don't have any faults, Sangreshi said, the Supreme Court which has upheld EVMs, has not said that ballot papers shouldn't be used.
He said, under the GBA Act there is a specific provision to hold the election using ballot paper. "When there is an act, why shouldn't we use it?"
The officers are well equipped to complete the process of election within the time, he further said, adding that "I think, there will be no hurdle to conduct the polls using ballot papers."
Responding to a question, the commissioner said that web cameras and CCTV cameras will be installed and adequate security will be ensured using police force to address the concerns of rigging. Also there will not be any logistical issues. "Everything will be taken care of," he said.
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 BBMP.
Speaking to reporters after releasing the draft voters' list for GBA along with Sangreshi, R Ramachandran, Special Commissioner of GBA Election said, a total of 88,91,411 voters are there in the ward-wise draft voters' list of five corporations under the GBA, and a total of 369 wards have been formed in the jurisdiction of five corporations.
The draft voter list prepared keeping October 1, 2025 as the base date has 45,69,193 male, 43,20,583 female and 1,635 other voters.
Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit homes from January 20 to February 3 and people will be allowed to submit claims and objections about the voters list during this period, he said, adding that disposal of claims and objections will take place from February 4 to February 18, and the final electoral roll will be published on March 16.
While ward number 23 of Bengaluru West Municipal Corporation has the highest number of voters at 49,530, ward number 16 of Bengaluru East Municipal Corporation has the lowest number of voters at 10,926. There will be 8,044 polling booths in a total of 369 wards, he further said.
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Man booked for duping firm of Rs 6 cr by posing as Infosys CSR official
Bengaluru (PTI): An FIR has been registered against a man and his accomplices for allegedly cheating a firm of Rs 6 crore by falsely claiming to be associated with an IT company and promising to facilitate CSR funds for its projects, police said on Friday.
The crime is said to have taken place between September 1, 2025 and March 20, 2026, and after consultation with legal experts the company decided to file a complaint at the Devanahalli police station here, they said.
The FIR was registered on March 30 following a complaint by Mysore Mercantile Company, alleging that a person named Gagan N Deep approached them, posing as the Regional Head (CSR) at Infosys Ltd, they said.
According to the FIR, Deep claimed he reported to senior officials - Harsh J, Senior Regional Manager - Infrastructure, Facilities Operation, Public Relations and CSR Works, and Niladri Prasad Mishra, Senior Vice President and Head - Global Infrastructure and Climate Action.
The FIR alleged that the accused expressed interest in the activities of their associated trust, Heggunje Rajeeva Shetty Charitable Trust, Bangalore, and assured facilitation of CSR funds from Infosys Ltd.
It further stated that the accused sent a team of four to five individuals representing Infosys, including persons identified as Chethan and Tejas, to Udupi, Mangaluru and other places to verify the trust’s activities.
According to the complaint, the accused subsequently induced the complainant to pay an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) to alleged regular vendors of Infosys as a condition for approval of CSR grants.
The complainant stated that a total amount of Rs 6 crore was paid, including Rs 1.75 crore through demand drafts in favour of Anitha Ventures and Rs 3.75 crore through demand drafts in favour of ANS Engineerings, apart from an additional cash payment of Rs 30 lakh allegedly handed over to the accused through his driver near Nandi Upachar Hotel in Devanahalli, as per his instructions.
The FIR further alleged that the accused issued a purported sanction letter dated October 21, 2025, allegedly from Infosys bearing the signature of Mishra, and executed a grant agreement dated January 8, 2026 between Infosys and the charitable trust for the construction of more than 855 houses across Karnataka with a total grant of Rs 179 crore.
Another grant agreement dated January 13, 2026 was also executed for construction of primary health care centres across the state with a total grant of Rs 178 crore, it stated.
However, the complainant later suspected that the representations made by the accused were false, the documents were fabricated, and the entire transaction was fraudulent in nature, as the accused dishonestly induced them to part with substantial amounts under the pretext of EMD for CSR grants.
"Despite repeated follow-ups neither has any grant materialised nor have the amounts been returned, and the accused is now unresponsive and deliberately avoiding communication," the FIR added.
A case has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), Section 319(2) (cheating by personation), Section 336(3) (forgery for the purpose of cheating), police said, adding that further investigation into the matter is underway.
Efforts are being made to nab the suspects in the case, they added.
