Civic elections to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will be held after May 25 with ballot papers to be used instead of EVMs, Karnataka Chief Election Commissioner G.S. Sangreshi announced on January 19.
The last civic elections, held in August 2015, used EVMs.
The State Election Commission did not give a clear or specific reason for reverting to ballot papers, merely stating that the law permits their use.
Mr. Sangreshi said the use of ballot papers is not prohibited and remains a legally valid option. “This is not banned. We are doing it. Even developed countries, like the United States, conduct elections using ballot papers. In India, only MLA and MP elections are conducted using EVMs,” he said.
He added that the decision was taken after due consideration by the State Election Commission. “There may be many reasons. Once the State Election Commission takes a stand after consulting all stakeholders, we take a decision,” he said.
Mr. Sangreshi also cited Supreme Court observations to defend the move, stating that the apex court has held there is nothing wrong with conducting elections using ballot papers. “In GBA elections, there is a provision to use ballot papers,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the Election Commission of India (ECI), Mr. Sangreshi said just as the ECI takes its own decisions, the State Election Commission is empowered to do so.
Dismissing apprehensions about delays or inefficiency, he said the process would not be a waste of time and expressed confidence that the exercise would be “100% successful.”
The Chief Election Commissioner was addressing the media after a meeting with representatives of political parties regarding the publication of ward-wise draft electoral rolls for the five city corporations under the GBA.
Electoral rolls
As per directions issued in State Election Commission, the ward-wise draft electoral rolls for all 369 wards were published on January 19 for public inspection. Final notification will be published on March 16.
According to the electoral roll revision schedule, the period for filing claims and objections will be from January 20 to February 3. These will be disposed of between February 4 and February 18. The final electoral rolls will be published on March 16. Ward-level voter numbers would be uploaded on the official website by January 19 evening.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Mr. Sangreshi said the State Election Commission is carrying out a similar exercise to that undertaken elsewhere. “This SIR… we are also doing the same, they are also doing the same. We are correcting the list, names and details,” he said.
Referring to Bihar, he said while the exercise there was carried out by the Central Government, in Karnataka it is being done by the State Government. October 1 was fixed as the qualifying date for inclusion in the rolls.
As per the draft electoral rolls, the GBA has a total electorate of 88.91 lakh voters. Bengaluru West City Corporation accounts for the highest number of voters at 27.25 lakh, followed by Bengaluru North with 19.54 lakh, Bengaluru South with 17.44 lakh, Bengaluru Central with 14.25 lakh, and Bengaluru East with 10.41 lakh.
Among the 369 wards, Ward No. 23 in Bengaluru West City Municipal Corporation has the highest number of voters at 49,530, while Ward No. 16 in Bengaluru East City Municipal Corporation has the lowest electorate with 10,926 voters.
Published – January 19, 2026 01:01 pm IST
