In a major show of resistance, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to launch a full-fledged agitation against the Congress government’s contentious proposal to split the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into five separate corporations under the banner of “Greater Bengaluru.” The move, the BJP claims, is politically motivated and will ultimately harm the city’s administration and development prospects.
At a crucial meeting held at the party’s state headquarters in Malleshwaram on July 26, BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra and leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka convened a strategic session with party MLAs representing various constituencies in the Bengaluru metropolitan area. The outcome: an aggressive plan to oppose the BBMP trifurcation, both inside the Assembly during the upcoming session and on the streets across the city.
Legal battle and people’s movement
The party has resolved to fight the government’s BBMP restructuring bill tooth and nail. While acknowledging that Congress may have the numbers to pass the bill in the legislature, the BJP is gearing up to challenge the decision in the High Court, citing administrative impracticalities and public inconvenience. Simultaneously, BJP leaders have vowed to launch a public awareness campaign to highlight what they call the dangers of such a division — rising administrative costs, confusion in governance, and politicisation of the city’s development.
“Dividing the BBMP into five corporations is not a solution to Bengaluru’s problems. It is a political strategy by the Congress to manipulate the upcoming civic polls,” R. Ashoka alleged, speaking to reporters after the meeting. “The people of Bengaluru have not asked for this division. Instead, they are demanding better infrastructure, cleaner roads, and efficient governance. The Congress government is simply playing politics at the cost of the city’s future.”
Political motives behind the division?
The BJP sees the BBMP restructuring plan as part of the Congress’s broader strategy to secure a win in the much-delayed BBMP elections. The saffron party believes that dividing the city into smaller administrative units is an attempt to re-engineer the electoral map and dilute the BJP’s influence in key areas.
“Congress knows it is staring at defeat in the BBMP elections. That’s why they are resorting to this last-minute gimmick. They are trying to divide and rule,” Ashoka said. He added that issues such as property tax anomalies, cess hikes, and e-governance glitches remain unresolved, even as the government rushes to redraw the city’s governance blueprint.
Tunnel road, blacklisted firms and lack of planning
BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra also took sharp aim at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, accusing them of haphazard urban planning. “The government is acting in haste. Whether it is the underground tunnel road or the division of BBMP, nothing has been planned scientifically. They are inviting tenders for projects without proper studies, and even allowing blacklisted firms to bid,” Vijayendra charged.
He pointed out that thousands of apartments in Bengaluru still lack Occupancy Certificates (OC) and Completion Certificates (CC), and yet the government’s focus is on implementing experimental governance models. “Their priorities are completely misplaced. The city is still struggling with basic issues like traffic, drainage, and housing. Instead of fixing them, they are indulging in administrative experiments,” he said.
Failed models in other cities
The BJP also cited examples of failed attempts to divide municipal corporations in other Indian cities, notably Delhi and Mumbai. According to the party, similar trifurcation attempts in those metros were later rolled back after public backlash and administrative chaos.
“Decentralisation of power doesn’t require the creation of five corporations. We are ready to support the appointment of five senior IAS officers to manage different zones. But there must be a single mayor and a unified vision for Bengaluru’s development,” said a senior BJP MLA from Bengaluru.
BJP’s five-point objection
The BJP’s core objections to the BBMP division are as follows:
- No real problem is solved by splitting the BBMP.
- Existing administrative systems will be further weakened, not improved.
- Experiments in other cities, such as Mumbai and Delhi, failed, further complicating the situation.
- Administrative costs are expected to skyrocket, placing an additional burden on taxpayers.
- Political motives, not civic necessity, drive the entire proposal.
The party is expected to raise this issue as a top priority when the Assembly convenes. Simultaneously, the BJP Bengaluru unit will begin ward-wise public campaigns, distributing leaflets, conducting street meetings, and addressing resident welfare associations to build momentum against the division.
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