Bengaluru: In a move that could reignite the national debate over India’s voting system, the Karnataka Congress government has formally recommended to the State Election Commission (SEC) that future local body elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The state cabinet has also authorised the SEC to take complete control of electoral rolls — including preparation, revision, and rectification. Law Minister H.K. Patil said the decision was guided by the need to rebuild faith in the electoral process.
“The credibility of EVMs has eroded. To restore public trust, the cabinet will recommend elections through ballot papers. The SEC should also independently handle voter lists,” Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The recommendation comes at a politically charged moment. Just months earlier, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to ‘steal’ the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, particularly pointing to alleged large-scale voter list manipulation in the Mahadevapura Assembly seat. Gandhi described it as “bhayankar chori” (massive theft of votes), citing duplicate entries, fake addresses, and misuse of forms.
The Congress has long argued that EVMs are vulnerable to tampering and has repeatedly demanded a nationwide return to paper ballots. The party intensified its campaign after setbacks in state elections, including Maharashtra, framing paper ballots as the only path to electoral transparency.
Yet, the judiciary has taken a different stance. On November 26, 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a shift back to paper ballots. Justice Nath’s blunt observation summed up the scepticism:
“When you win the election, EVMs are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered.”
