Karnataka zilla, taluk panchayat polls likely in January, says Minister Khandre

Elections to the zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats in Karnataka are expected to be held by January next year, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B. Khandre said in Bengaluru on Saturday. The Minister said the State government was committed to conducting the rural local body polls and that preparations were at an advanced stage.

Mr. Khandre said the government had issued a draft notification on reservation for rural local bodies and was examining the objections received before issuing the final notification. The deadline for filing objections was October 19, and more than 2,000 objections were received. Officials were examining them in accordance with the rules, and the final notification would be issued shortly, he said.

Once the State government submits its proposal, the State Election Commission will begin the process of conducting the elections. The commission will either obtain electoral rolls from the Election Commission of India or revise the rolls already available with it for the purpose, the Minister said.

“Elections to the taluk and zilla panchayats will most probably be held in the first or second week of January,” Mr. Khandre said, adding that elections to gram panchayats would be held after the completion of the zilla and taluk panchayat elections.

Rural local bodies in the State function under the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993, and the reservation of seats in these bodies is notified by the government before each round of polls.

e-swathu applications from November 2

The Minister said the government would start accepting applications from November 2 for issuing e-swathu certificates to properties within gramathana limits, including those whose owners do not possess registered ownership documents. The initiative is expected to benefit an estimated 25 lakh to 30 lakh rural property owners.

He said the government had amended the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Gram Panchayats Taxes, Rates and Fees) Rules to address long-pending issues faced by rural property owners, and that changes had been made to the e-swathu 2.0 software to facilitate the process.

Under the revised provisions, properties within gramathana limits that do not have registered documents can be considered for e-swathu certification on the basis of electricity bills issued before April 7, 2025, along with physical verification of the property. The requirement for registered documents has been waived for such properties.

Applicants will, however, have to furnish an undertaking that the information and ownership claims submitted by them are correct. Certificates can be cancelled subsequently if the information is found to be false or if valid legal disputes arise, Mr. Khandre said.

The Minister said the undertaking would also help address cases involving pending court disputes, disagreements over ownership shares, or applications submitted by persons who are not the original owners.

The revised rules also allow people who had received housing scheme allotment documents from the government but later lost them to obtain e-swathu certificates by securing confirmation from the authority that issued the original allotment.

Form 11B procedure simplified

The government has also simplified the procedure for obtaining Form 11B, allowing rural residents to secure the document for buildings constructed on agricultural land for residential or agricultural purposes even if they do not possess registered documents.

The amended rules also cover buildings created under housing schemes on agricultural land and properties of traditional forest-dwelling communities that have received titles under the Forest Rights Act.