Bengaluru Governance Bill passed, GBA won’t control corporations

The state government has clarified that the Greater Bengaluru Authority will not interfere with the functioning of the five proposed city corporations.

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed the Greater Bengaluru Governance (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aimed at removing confusion over the role of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). The government clarified that the GBA will not interfere with the working of the five new city corporations planned under the 2024 Act.

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Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar explained that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had raised doubts about the GBA’s powers. To address this, the amendment makes it clear that corporations will function independently in matters of administration, finance, taxation, and elections.

The opposition BJP, however, raised concerns. Dasarahalli MLA Muniraju pointed out that constituencies like his were being split across multiple corporations, while Jayanagar MLA CK Ramamurthy warned that uneven population and tax collection across the five corporations could lead to financial imbalances.

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Responding to the debate, Shivakumar said the amendment was introduced to prevent future misuse of powers and assured that the 74th Constitutional Amendment, which ensures financial and administrative independence for urban local bodies, has been fully protected. He added that elections would follow after the final notification on September 2.

Under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, the city will be reorganized into five corporations, Bengaluru West, South, North, East, and Central, with the Greater Bengaluru Authority serving as a coordinating body. The GBA will be chaired by the Chief Minister, with the Bengaluru Development Minister as vice-chairperson, and mayors given a fixed 30-month term.

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Civic groups like Janaagraha have suggested additional reforms, including ward delimitation by 2026, creation of ward committees, area sabhas for neighbourhood-level governance, and financial autonomy for corporations to ensure effective city management.

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