How the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act Led to the End of BBMP Rule

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike was officially replaced by the Greater Bengaluru Authority on May 15, 2025, under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. This change ended the single municipal corporation model that had governed the city for decades and replaced it with a decentralised structure.

The Path Through the 2024 Act

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, set the legal framework for splitting the city into five new municipal corporations named Central, North, East, West and South. State records show the legislation was introduced to improve service delivery and local administration by moving decision-making closer to individual wards. The Act received cabinet approval before moving through the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council, completing the formal process that took effect on the May 15 date.

Earlier attempts to reform BBMP had stalled over questions of ward boundaries and fund allocation. The 2024 legislation resolved those disputes by creating the Greater Bengaluru Authority as an overseeing body while granting each new corporation independent powers over roads, waste management and property tax collection.

Budget Powers for the New Corporations

The Karnataka 2026-27 budget authorised the five new city corporations to raise development funds by issuing municipal bonds based on their own balance sheets. This provision marked a departure from the previous system in which the single BBMP relied primarily on state grants and property tax revenue. The budget document lists the bond-raising power as a tool for financing local infrastructure projects without waiting for annual state allocations.

Residents in areas such as the former BBMP zones now fall under one of the five corporations, each responsible for its own planning and service contracts. The Greater Bengaluru Authority coordinates cross-boundary issues such as major arterial roads and storm-water drains that span multiple corporations.

The new corporations will prepare their first independent balance sheets this financial year to support any bond issues. Officials expect the process to begin with smaller infrastructure works before larger projects are funded through the market.