Reserved wards may change; civic poll hopefuls in dilemma

HC order on reworking ward reservations has likely candidates in two minds over campaign, as they won't know status till late

HC order on reworking ward reservations has likely candidates in two minds over campaign, as they won't know status till late

The Karnataka High Court's order to the government to re-work the wardwise reservation of the February 21 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls by January 23, has triggered a dilemma among aspiring candidates. While the government is planning to move the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision, the aspirants are unsure whether they should start campaigning at all.

Loss of time

ORDERS ARE ORDERS: Former mayor P R Ramesh says the government must obey court orders and rework ward reservations.

For instance, the Hosahalli ward has been reserved for scheduled caste candidates, but M B Adinarayana, a likely BJP candidate from Hosahalli, is not sure whether it will remain so. "I thought I would start preparing for the elections right away. But now, I don't know what would be the scene after the revision. Even if it does remains the same, we will know only on January 23 and I would have lost precious time."

Loss of money

Another big factor is the money the candidates plan to spend on their candidacy. With senior leaders of political parties demanding heavy sums in return for a poll ticket, aspirants are unsure whether they should pay up now or wait for the legal issue to be solved.

"After all, it is a matter of crores and I am really scared," said an aspiring candidate. "If I give the money and the reservation is reworked, I may lose it. If I wait for the court result, another aspirant may overtake me."

Former mayor P R Ramesh said, "I think the government is carrying out its primary duty and conducting polls.

The government must obey the court's order and re-work the reservation. I think the Supreme Court will not oblige the government and question the high court order."