BENGALURU, July 18 -- The Supreme Court on Friday extended the deadline for completing the long-pending elections to Bengaluru's local bodies, allowing the Karnataka government and the state election commission (SEC) time till December 31, 2026 to conclude the civic polls.

Within hours of the order, chief minister D K Shivakumar said the state would use the extended timeline not only to hold elections to the Greater Bengaluru Authority's five city corporations but also to complete polls to all pending local bodies before the end of the year. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, accepted the state's plea that the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls...