Karnataka's Legislative Assembly passed the contentious Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, on March 10, proposing to split Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into up to seven corporations. The move, led by Deputy CM and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar, faced strong opposition from BJP and JD(S), who walked out in protest. Moneycontrol breaks down the proposed restructuring of Bengaluru's civic body.
What does the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024 propose?
The Bill aims to improve urban governance by empowering ward committees, enhancing political accountability, and ensuring a decentralised, participative, and efficient system for citizen welfare.
How many city corporations are proposed?
The Bill proposes up to seven city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which will coordinate governance and agencies. While the bill allows for the creation of seven corporations, sources told Moneycontrol that the government will settle for three-five. Each corporation will have a maximum of 150 wards.
Also, read: Karnataka Assembly passes Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill amid BJP’s protest
What are the criteria to establish a city corporation?
A city corporation will be formed if the area has at least 10 lakh people, a population density of 5,000 per sq km, an annual local revenue of Rs 300 crore, and at least 50 percent non-agricultural employment.
What is the tenure of the mayor and the city council?
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor will serve a 30-month term. Each city corporation council will have a five-year term unless dissolved earlier.
Who are the members of the GBA?
The Chief Minister will chair the GBA, with the Bengaluru Development Minister as the vice-chairperson and the Chief Commissioner as the member secretary. It will include key ministers, city mayors, and heads of civic agencies. The government will constitute GBA upon the Act's commencement.
What are the functions of the GBA?
The GBA will manage financial allocations, approve tax rates, and oversee budgets for all corporations. It will coordinate infrastructure projects, integrate public agencies, and supervise urban planning, service delivery, and technology-driven solutions like GIS and intelligent transport systems.
Also, read: Karnataka govt likely to split Bengaluru civic body into smaller corporations
What committees are formed under the Bill?
The Bill proposes constituency, zonal, standing, ward, and area sabha committees to oversee governance, development, finances, public services, and citizen engagement.
Why are BJP and JD(S) opposing the Bill?
BJP calls the split costly and inefficient. Opposition leader R Ashok warned that it could allow non-Kannadigas to become mayors, centralise power with the CM and Bengaluru Development Minister, violate the 74th Amendment, and create revenue disparities, which leads to uneven development and unrest.
Why are citizen groups opposing it?
They want a strong Mayor with a five-year tenure and a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) as an independent body headed by the Mayor, without state government interference. Citizen groups say the proposed GBA allows significant state government control. They also demand timely municipal elections, citing the BBMP’s 50-month delay as a governance failure.
What are the powers of the state government?
The state government can inspect city corporation records, intervene in pending matters, issue directives, appoint officers in case of default, cancel resolutions, dissolve corporations, and appoint an administrator.
Also, read: Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill tabled in Karnataka Assembly
Will the government nominate councillors?
The government can nominate up to 10 percent of councillors, selecting experts in municipal matters/social workers. They have no voting rights and will serve a five-year term, subject to government discretion.
What are the revenues of city corporations?
Revenue comes from taxes, user charges, fees, and fines. The corporations will levy property tax, service charges, advertisement fees, profession tax, and cesses for solid waste management, infrastructure, and urban transport, among others.
What is the Greater Bengaluru Security Force?
This force will protect city properties, prevent revenue leakage, and monitor offenses. The Chief Commissioner will oversee its operations, recruitment, and discipline.
When was the last BBMP election held?
The last BBMP election was in April 2010. The council’s term ended in September 2020, and elections have not been held since. BBMP, formed in 2007 by merging 110 villages and eight municipalities, has faced criticism for poor governance and lack of coordination among multiple departments.
What were previous restructuring attempts?
After BBMP’s term ended in 2020, then-CM Yediyurappa proposed increasing wards from 198 to 225. In 2023, the Congress government introduced the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill to split BBMP into smaller corporations and expand its boundaries. A legislative committee, led by MLA Rizwan Arshad, finalised the bill, and the assembly passed it in March 2025.
How will it impact Bengaluru's future?
If GBA remains under the same BBMP officials, little may change. Experts urge decentralisation instead of state control. While the state budget doubles Bengaluru’s allocation to Rs 7,000 crore and introduces an SPV for major projects, its impact will depend on execution.
Also, read: That sinking feeling again: Bengaluru crumbles in rain, city without elected council for over 4 years
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