Karnataka Panchayat polls: Bill moved to replace EVMs with paper ballots

Bengaluru: The Congress government introduced Tuesday a Bill in the Karnataka Assembly to do away with electronic voting machines (EVM) and use paper ballots for elections to rural local bodies.

The Bill will amend the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act ahead of the impending elections to zilla and taluk panchayats this year.

The government has already decided to switch back to paper ballots instead of EVMs for elections to five municipal corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

“The decision of the government to revert to paper ballots for local body elections, in response to concerns about EVM credibility and voter privacy, reflects a growing consensus on the need to strengthen electoral mechanisms that prioritise anonymity and transparency,” the Bill states.

“Some concerns have been raised, regarding functioning of EVMs, necessitating a return to the robust secret ballot paper system to restore public trust,” the Bill states.

In the Bill, the government has cited the Supreme Court case of Kuldip Nayar vs Union of India (2006) on the secrecy of ballots being essential for elections to ensure voter autonomy.

Other Bills

The government proposes to establish a Karnataka Manuscripts Authority under the Karnataka Jnana Bhandar Manuscripts and Digitisation Bill, which was introduced. The Authority will survey, document, conserve, digitise, research and publish manuscripts.

The Karnataka Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill was introduced to make a provision for allowances and other service conditions of the Lokayukta to be on par with Supreme Court judges or the Chief Justice of the High Court.

A minor amendment has been proposed to the Karnataka Police Act concerning transfer of police officers on the grounds of misconduct, gross negligence, dereliction of duty or an act of moral turpitude.