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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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
