Greater Bengaluru Authority Prepares for Decisions on Elections and Property Rules

The Greater Bengaluru Authority replaced the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike in May 2025 under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. Maheshwar Rao, former BBMP chief commissioner, now leads the GBA as its chief commissioner alongside four special commissioners handling health, finance and IT departments.

This shift created a three-tier structure with the Chief Minister-led GBA at the top, followed by the five municipal corporations named Central, East, West, North and South, and ward committees at the base. The change ended the single-city corporation model that had operated for years and placed day-to-day administration under appointed officials until further steps are taken.

Elections remain the immediate open question

Civic elections for the five new municipal corporations have not been held. As a result, no elected councils or mayors exist in the current setup, leaving all decisions with the GBA and its appointed commissioners. Residents in neighbourhoods across the city continue to interact with ward committees that lack elected representation at the corporation level.

The absence of polls means the GBA must determine the timing and process for choosing representatives for each of the five corporations. Without elected bodies, oversight of local works such as road maintenance and drainage in areas previously managed by BBMP zones rests solely with the state-appointed structure.

Property records receive new legal clarity

The state Cabinet granted legal status to B-Khata properties issued between 2009 and September 2024. It also eased Occupancy Certificate requirements for sites measuring 30x40 ft or smaller. These measures affect property owners who held provisional documents under the old BBMP system and now seek clearer titles under the new corporations.

Implementation of these cabinet decisions will require coordination between the GBA and the five corporations once they begin functioning with fuller staff. Property transactions and building approvals in Central, East, West, North and South zones will follow the updated rules, though the exact administrative hand-off process remains under the GBA’s direction.

Next steps centre on whether the GBA schedules corporation-level elections and how it rolls out the revised property rules across the restructured zones. Ward committees will continue to handle the most local issues while the authority works through these two areas.