Karnataka Cabinet clears bill to speed up Bengaluru civic polls
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved the Greater Bengaluru Governance (Amendment) Bill, 2025 which will pave way for the preparation of voter lists for each of the city’s five newly formed corporations and facilitate an early conduct of elections.
The proposed legislation is to be introduced in the State legislature’s monsoon session beginning August 11. It will seek to compile electoral rolls under the guidance and supervision of the State Election Commission (SEC) for the Central, North, East, West and South corporations, which differ in size, population and density.
The bill was passed after the formal establishment of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on May 15, 2025, which replaced the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. The amendment will also make minor word substitutions to the original Act to enhance clarity and assist in demarcating boundaries between the corporations.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil said the changes are aimed at expediting the completion of electoral rolls and conducting polls in all five corporations at the earliest.
The Supreme Court has directed the State government to strictly follow its stated timeline, completing ward delimitation and issuing the final notification by November 1, 2025. The SEC, in an additional affidavit, informed the court it would require 60 to 90 days after the notification to finalise voter lists. The matter will be reviewed by the court on November 3, 2025.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
