BBMP makes way: Five new Bengaluru corporations ready, await commissioners under GBA

Greater Bengaluru Authority notified; city to be reorganised into Central, East, West, North and South corporations with two zones each, paving the way for ward recast, reservations and civic polls.

Bengaluru’s civic map is being redrawn. With the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) formally notified, the city will transition from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North and South—each split into two zones. The new framework promises functional autonomy in administration, civic services and local planning at a more granular scale.

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Commissioners for the five corporations are expected to be appointed shortly. Once in place, they will steer zone-level operations alongside Special Commissioners and Joint Commissioners. A government-appointed committee will then undertake ward restructuring, invite public objections, finalise boundaries and announce ward-wise reservations—steps that set up the schedule for civic elections.

The BBMP era, which began in 2007 by merging multiple municipal and town councils with surrounding villages, is slated to close with a final notification on September 2—ending an 18-year run and marking Bengaluru’s shift to a multi-corporation model.

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The GBA will function from the BBMP headquarters at N.R. Square, now under renovation. The 75-member body brings together representatives from the Union and State, city legislators, senior police and district officials, and the heads of key utilities and transport agencies, ensuring decisions are coordinated across water, power, mobility and planning. The Chief Minister will chair the Authority, with the Deputy Chief Minister as Vice-Chair. An in-charge Chief Commissioner has been tasked to act as principal commissioner for all five corporations until further appointments are made.

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This overhaul replaces a civic structure that has evolved since the city’s first municipal body in 1881, through the Bengaluru City Corporation (1949), the Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (1995) and the BBMP (2007). The latest move aims to bring governance closer to neighbourhoods, speed up service delivery and provide a cleaner runway to elections.

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