The government formed the Delimitation Commission on September 2, 2025, when the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ceased to exist, paving the way for a new administrative structure under the GBA.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
The Karnataka government on Wednesday notified the ward delimitation for the five newly established city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, marking a major administrative restructuring of urban governance in the State capital.
The final notification revises the draft proposal, which suggested 368 wards, and raises the number to 369 by adding one more ward to the Bengaluru West City Corporation.
According to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) sources, the reservation process will begin soon and may take another 25 to 30 days to complete. Once finalised, citizens can finally expect civic polls after a delay of more than four years.
The government formed the Delimitation Commission on September 2, 2025, when the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ceased to exist, paving the way for a new administrative structure under the GBA. Five new corporations- North, South, East, West, and Central- were subsequently established, and to operationalise this restructuring, ward boundaries had to be redrawn, prompting the creation of the commission.
The final notification follows the government’s acceptance of the recommendations submitted by the Wards Delimitation Commission chaired by M. Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the GBA. The commission submitted its draft on September 30, and objections were invited until October 15.
The draft attracted a total of 4,892 responses, with the West Corporation receiving the highest number, 2,965 suggestions. As part of the exercise, wards within each Assembly constituency were renumbered using the serpentine or boustrophedon system to ensure uniformity and clarity. Some ward names have been modified, and several boundary lines are realigned with identifiable roads to avoid ambiguity.
The commission submitted its final report to the government on November 10, 2025. After reviewing the recommendations, the government issued the final delimitation notification on Wednesday.
The delimitation rules mandated using the 2011 Census, updated with 2023 projections, with each ward representing about 20,000 people and a permissible variation of plus or minus 25%. Wards were required to remain within a single Assembly constituency, maintain contiguity, and balance population and community interests. In hilly or forested areas, factors such as terrain, commuting needs, and public convenience had to be considered, while natural boundaries like roads and drains were to be used without disturbing existing community units.
Although the final ward list was scheduled to be published on November 1, the ongoing transition of the BBMP into new corporations delayed the other processes, leading to an 18-day delay.
Published – November 19, 2025 10:18 pm IST
