A Bengaluru-based non-governmental organisation, Jhatkaa.org has initiated an online petition to immediately conduct Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections. It has been nearly nine years since the last council elections were held. The elections, supposed to occur every five years, have been delayed since 2020, leaving critical posts vacant. 

The petition calls on the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, to conduct the elections and issue a timeline for them. According to the petition, the prolonged delay has created a significant "governance vacuum," reducing political accountability and transparency. “For instance, without elected representatives, decisions about budget allocations and urban development projects lack the scrutiny that elected officials would be accountable for. Consequently, this has resulted in a disconnect between the needs of the citizens and the administration,” the petition said.

It adds that the absence of elected officials has led to dysfunction in essential mechanisms such as ward committee meetings, which are crucial for addressing issues like water scarcity, waste management, and road maintenance. Listing out the challenges, the petition said that poor management has led to infrastructure failure, particularly in areas like Outer Ring Road and Sarjapur Road. “These roads are in disrepair, posing dangers to vehicles and pedestrians. Inadequate street lighting has increased the risk of night-time accidents,” it said.

The petition also cites data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2022 which said that Bengaluru has the highest number of deaths due to negligence by the civic body. “Broken footpaths, pothole-ridden roads, and hanging cables have put lives at risk. Pedestrian fatalities have increased by 77% between 2021 and 2023 due to the lack of proper civic infrastructure,” it said.