Congress Pushes for 2025 Electoral Rolls to Meet August GBA Election Deadline

The Congress party is planning to push for the use of the 2025 electoral rolls for the upcoming Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections in Bengaluru. This proposal aims to ensure that the election process can be completed before the Supreme Court's strict deadline of August 31, 2026, bypassing the longer revision process currently underway.

The decision to advocate for the older voter list comes because the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls is expected to be completed only by October 7, 2026. Waiting for the official machinery to finish the SIR process would make it impossible to conduct the elections within the timeframe mandated by the Supreme Court.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B.K. Hariprasad discussed this strategy during a meeting on Wednesday. Party sources indicated that the State Election Commission is scheduled to publish the draft electoral roll on August 5, 2026. However, Congress sources expressed uncertainty over whether this draft roll can be accepted and utilized in time to meet the court's August 31 deadline.

The push for the 2025 electoral rolls also follows recent disputes over voter lists. The State Election Commission had to conduct a separate door-to-door visit to resolve discrepancies in 27 wards across three corporations. This corrective measure was initiated after political parties raised formal objections to the final GBA electoral roll that was published on April 18.

As the elections to the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority draw near, the Congress party is also preparing its campaign strategy. The party is currently working on preparing multiple manifestos. Rather than a single document, these tailored manifestos will specifically address the local electorate and unique issues in each of the five individual corporations.