The Karnataka government on Thursday published a draft reservation roster for 369 wards across five newly formed city corporations in Greater Bengaluru. The public has 15 days to file objections. This is a key step towards holding the delayed civic polls announced for this year by Bengaluru Development Minister and Congress State chief D.K. Shivakumar. However, the Karnataka Damanita Hindulida Jaatigala Okkoota, an OBC activist group, plans to challenge the reservation roster's OBC quota in the High Court once it is finalized, likely in February. The group said the Supreme Court’s 2010 'triple test' must be followed to separate politically backward and advanced communities within OBCs for local body reservations. The draft gives OBCs 33% reservation, based on the Justice K. Bhaktavatsala Committee report accepted by the government in October 2023. Vertical reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs follows the population proportion in each corporation and stays within the Supreme Court’s 50% limit. Women receive about 50% horizontal reservation. If no legal hurdles arise, elections could happen during the upcoming summer school break. Karnataka State Election Commission Commissioner G.S. Sangreshi said voter lists for the five corporations will be ready by early March. Past delays, such as in 2021 when BJP's reservation roster was challenged, may repeat if objections succeed. K.N. Lingappa from the okkoota criticized the Bhaktavatsala Committee for not using enough empirical data and urged the government to form a new commission to properly identify politically backward OBC communities and redraw reservations accordingly. In the draft, Backward Classes B, which includes Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, is allotted 6.5% reservation but may be excluded if the triple test is properly applied, said Lingappa.