ZP, TP polls: Commissions to submit reports to SC on July 22

MYSURU: Elections to the 30 zilla panchayats and 176 taluk panchayats, which were due in May-June, have gained momentum as the commission on delimitation and political reservation for OBCs will submit its reports to the Supreme Court on July 22. This was revealed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai during his visit to Mysuru to participate in the Goddess Chamundeshwari Vardanthi and to offer Bagina to Kapila and Cauvery rivers on Wednesday.

Speaking to media persons, Bommai said the Reservation and Delimitation Commissions will submit its reports to the Supreme Court on July 22. “Based on the SC’s directions, elections for the taluk panchayats, zilla panchayats and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike will be held,” he said.He also added, “We will also hold the Mysuru mayor’s election after receiving the Backward Commission’s report on the reservations.”

The process of determining reservation for OBCs and completing the delimitation of wards across the 30 ZPs and 176 TPs was speeded up by the state government after the Supreme Court and High Court gave deadlines to hold the local body elections. The government had expected to buy time till the 2023 Assembly elections.

However, as the deadline fixed by the courts was fast approaching, the M Lakshminarayan commission on delimitation and Justice M Bhaktavatsala commission on political reservation for OBCs had decided to submit their reports to the SC on July 22.JDS leader Beerihundi Basavaraj told The New Indian Express that the local body elections were supposed to be completed by May 2021.

“As the term ended on May 7, 2021, the Panchayat Raj Act says that the elections must be held before the end of the term. The BJP government failed to hold even a single local body election. They postponed the local body elections citing pandemic, but conducted the by-elections. This is because the BJP does not want local leaders representing the constituencies,” he said.

Basavaraj said the BJP is aware that they are politically weak in local bodies.“BJP is scared to hold BBMP elections and Mysuru Mayor’s election. The BJP has violated the deadline of the court. In the name of submitting the reports, the government is trying to cite problems in the process of delimitation and ask for more time for the elections. Courts have never asked to submit reports, it has only given deadlines to hold elections,” he alleged.

Basavaraj said officials have no control and are involved in corruption. “Without local bodies, the MLAs have become supreme and enjoy the powers even in local segments and they, too, do not want elections.”