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Karnataka releases quota matrix for civic polls in Bengaluru; 47.69% seats for women
Among Bengaluru’s five corporations, only the East City Corporation meets the required 50% vertical reservation.
The five corporations of the Greater Bengaluru Authority have also published draft voters' lists, with revisions currently underway. (File photo)
Gearing up for Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections in the five newly formed city corporations, the Congress Government in Karnataka published the reservation matrix for all 369 wards on Sunday. None of the corporations has the mandated 50 per cent of the seats reserved for women.
The urban development department has retained the same reservation percentages from the draft notification despite widespread objections, particularly regarding vertical reservation. The women’s quota figures fall short of mandated thresholds.
Among the five corporations, only the East City Corporation, meets the required 50 per cent vertical reservation, with 50 wards. The Central City Corporation stands at 49.2 per cent, the North City Corporation at 48.6 per cent, while the West and South City Corporations have received 42.8 per cent and 44.4 per cent, respectively.
Rules mandate 50 per cent representation for women, yet only the West City Corporation comes close to meeting that benchmark. The remaining four corporations will have women’s reservation between 46 per cent and 48 per cent, leaving the notification vulnerable to judicial scrutiny.
The Government, however, has defended the process. The final notification stated that the reservation committee carefully reviewed all suggestions and objections in line with the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act 2024 and relevant government orders, making changes wherever objections were deemed valid.
The Government also claimed that prescribed quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, women, and the general category seats have been duly followed.
A closer examination of the final notification reveals that changes from the draft are largely limited to reshuffling reservation between wards rather than addressing the broader percentage concerns. For instance, the Subramanyapura ward in the South City Corporation, earlier reserved for the backward class A category, has been shifted to the general category, while Bommanahalli has moved in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, the five corporations have also published draft voters’ lists, with revisions currently underway. The revised list is expected to be published in the coming week.
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Bengaluru last held civic polls in 2015. The Supreme Court has directed the state government to conduct the elections before June 30, and the State Election Commission has begun preparatory work.
Between 2001 and 2025, only three, instead of five, civic body elections were held in Bengaluru.
North City Corporation
Total wards: 72
SC: 9 (4)
ST: 2(1)
BC(a): 19 (9)
BC (b): 5(2)
General:37 (18)
Total seats reserved for women: 34
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South City Corporation
Total wards: 72
SC: 7(3)
ST: 1
BC(a): 19 (9)
BC (b): 5(2)
General: 40 (20)
Total seats reserved for women: 34
—
Central City Corporation
Total wards: 63
SC: 11(5)
ST: 1
BC(a): 15(7)
BC (b): 4 (2)
General: 32 (16)
Total seats reserved for women: 30
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East City Corporation
Total wards: 50
SC: 7(3)
ST: 1
BC(a): 14 (7)
BC (b): 3(1)
General: 25(12)
Total seats reserved for women: 23
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West City Corporation
Total wards: 112
SC: 9(4)
ST: 2(1)
BC(a): 30 (15)
BC (b): 7 (3)
General: 64 (32)
Total seats reserved for women: 55
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Total Wards: 369
Total SC reserved: 43 (19)
Total ST reserved: 7 (2)
Total BC(a): 97 (47)
Total BC (b): 24(10)
General: 198 (98)
Total seats reserved for women: 176
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