Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar said on Monday that the government will announce new guarantees for Bengaluru and the details will be shared on May 13.
On May 1, Mr. Shivakumar announced that “My Khata Drive” would be launched from May 16 and Khata melas would be held across the city every Saturday. It is not yet clear whether he was referring to the same or a new “warranty scheme” to be announced.
The announcement comes a day after Mr Shivakumar, who is also Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, on Sunday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Surjewala, who is in charge of party affairs in the state. Mr. Shivakumar described it as a “political meeting”.
The meeting discussed the legal proceedings on the request for a three-month extension for holding the GBA polls and also the preparations for the elections if the Supreme Court does not extend the deadline and elections become inevitable by June 30. Mr. Shivakumar’s announcement of a “new guarantee scheme for Bengaluru” comes as a result, sources said.
While Mr. Siddaramaiah wants no further delay in the election, others, including Mr. Shivakumar, are said to be in favor of a three-month extension. Many road works projects have stalled due to non-availability of bitumen due to the crisis in West Asia and in such a situation, elections in June, just after the onset of monsoon, will not bode well for the ruling party, sources said. Moreover, none of the parties have started political activity on the ground and a month would not be enough for it, opined MLAs across party lines, sources said.
The difficult question of leadership change in the state is also expected to arise after the Congress high command decides on the chief ministership in Kerala. While Mr. Siddaramaiah’s faction blasted his continued cabinet reshuffle, Mr. Shivakumar insisted on becoming chief minister. The issue will be further delayed if the Bengaluru elections are announced now and the results will affect Mr. Shivakumar’s leadership claim as he is in charge of the party as well as Bengaluru, sources said.
AS Ponnanna, Legal Adviser to the Chief Minister, who was also part of the meeting, said the legal proceedings related to civic polls in Bengaluru were discussed. “It is difficult to hold civic polls by June 30 due to the 2027 national census and special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. We will convince the court about the situation and seek an extension of three months,” he said.
Published – 11 May 2026 21:55 IST
