Karnataka State Election Commission begins preparations for gram panchayat polls
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Election Commission (SEC), in coordination with the state government, has begun preparations for the upcoming gram panchayat (GP) elections, as the five-year terms of over 5,700 gram panchayats are set to expire between December 2025 and January 2026.
Arundati Chandrashekar, Commissioner of the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Commissionerate, has directed the CEOs of all 31 zilla panchayats to submit detailed lists of gram panchayats whose terms are concluding. The deadline for submitting this data to the panchayat raj commissionerate is October 24, according to a letter cited by The Times of India on Tuesday.
The directive follows a communication from the SEC requesting information on gram panchayats with expiring terms, including member details, reservation specifics for women and various categories, and other relevant electoral data. Zilla panchayats have been given 15 days to compile and forward this information to assist the SEC in updating electoral rolls and scheduling the polls.
G.S. Sangreshi, SEC commissioner, said that the SEC had written to the government regarding the conduct of GP elections and was awaiting a response. "We expect a reply to initiate further proceedings. We will plan based on the govt's reply," TOI quoted Sangreshi as saying.
Meanwhile, some Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) elected from local bodies had proposed allowing candidates to contest GP elections using party symbols. However, the proposal was rejected by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in September, who described it as a “bad idea” that could encourage political groupism and disrupt village-level harmony.
Officials quoted in the report confirmed that candidates will continue to contest using their own unique symbols on the ballot paper, and the use of symbols affiliated with any recognised political party will be prohibited in the gram panchayat polls.
The last GP elections in Karnataka were held in December 2020 in two phases, covering nearly 93,000 wards across more than 5,700 gram panchayats.
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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.
