Bengaluru

Elections to the five newly created municipal corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) are likely to be conducted after May 25 using ballot papers, Karnataka Chief Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi said on Monday.

Addressing reporters, Sangreshi said the poll schedule has been planned keeping in mind the SSLC (Class 10) and PUC (Classes 11 and 12) examinations. “The elections are tentatively planned after May 25, once the examinations conclude,” he said.

He added that elections to zilla and taluk panchayats, expected later this year, will also be held through ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Defending the decision, Sangreshi said both ballot papers and EVMs are legally permissible methods of voting. “Ballot papers were used historically, and the law does not prohibit their use. There is also no Supreme Court ruling barring elections through ballot papers,” he said.

In September last year, the Congress-led Karnataka government had recommended that the State Election Commission conduct future panchayat and urban local body polls using ballot papers, citing concerns over declining public confidence in EVMs.

Pointing out that several developed countries, including the United States, continue to use ballot-based voting, Sangreshi said most elections in India—such as gram panchayat, cooperative society and MLC polls—are already conducted using ballot papers. However, he noted that the 2015 Bengaluru civic elections were held using EVMs.

Responding to queries on whether the decision was influenced by the government, Sangreshi asserted the independence of the State Election Commission. “We are a constitutional authority. Since the law allows both methods, it is within the Commission’s discretion to choose the mode of voting,” he said.

He reiterated that opting for ballot papers should not be seen as regressive. “This does not mean reverting to the past. Ballot papers remain an accepted and widely used practice across the world,” he added.

Last week, the Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to complete the Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.

The term of the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, after which the civic body has been under administrative control.

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In September 2025, Bengaluru was reorganised into five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North and South—under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, replacing the single BBMP structure.