Karnataka to scrap EVMs for local body polls? Govt recommends use of ballot papers

Bengaluru: In a significant decision, the Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to recommend to the State Election Commission (SEC) that all local body elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Additionally, the Cabinet resolved to empower the SEC to independently prepare and revise voter rolls for various local elections.

The decision applies to all local bodies, including zilla panchayats, taluk panchayats, gram panchayats, municipal corporations, city municipal councils and town municipal councils.

The politically loaded move comes amid doubts raised by the Congress about the EVMs and the party's ongoing offensive against the Election Commission over alleged 'vote theft'.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said that “all upcoming elections for local bodies will have ballot papers rather than EVMs”. He stated that the SEC will implement the necessary amendments to its laws and rules within a fortnight.

“There is an erosion of confidence and credibility of EVMs,” claimed Patil, and cited the recent national debate on alleged ‘vote theft’ led by party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Patil said the decision was driven by a need to ensure public trust in the electoral system, following multiple complaints regarding flaws in the electoral rolls, including non-resident and duplicate voters.

He added that local body elections so far relied on voter rolls prepared for Assembly elections, a method that has faced criticism for its lack of local relevance.

“We will also suggest to the SEC how to conduct elections under the new changes. All will happen within the next fortnight,” Patil noted.

Recently, Rahul alleged that over one lakh votes were manipulated in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bangalore Central during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, citing fake addresses, duplicate entries and bulk registrations.

Former State Election Commissioner P N Srinivasachari recalled that EVMs were first used in the Mysuru and Bengaluru districts in the 1999 elections, but gram panchayat elections have continued using ballot papers to this day.

Meanwhile, last month, current SEC Commissioner G S Sangreshi had written to the Urban Development Department, urging amendments to Section 35 of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, which does not clarify whether the SEC can independently prepare voter rolls.

In his August 2 letter, Sangreshi pointed out that constitutional provisions do not mandate adoption of Assembly rolls and suggested aligning the Act with other state laws like the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act (1976) and Panchayat Raj Act (1993).

He also recommended framing rules under Section 68 or adopting the existing Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Election) Rules, 1979, for smooth conduct of elections in the Greater Bengaluru region.