Regressive step, will only bring up old problems: Prahlad Joshi on back reviving paper ballots in Karnataka

Bengaluru was among the first cities in India to pilot EVMs back in the late 1980s — a legacy Joshi says the Congress government is now discarding.

New Delhi: Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday slammed the Karnataka government’s decision to bring back paper ballots for local body polls, calling it a move “against transparency in elections.”

“This is a regressive step that undermines decades of progress,” Joshi said in a statement. “Going back to paper ballots will only bring back old problems – higher invalid votes, booth capturing, delays, huge costs, and environmental waste.”

He pointed out that Karnataka was a pioneer of India’s EVM revolution. Bengaluru was one of the first cities to pilot EVMs in the late 1980s, and the state led their adoption through the 1990s. Over time, EVMs with VVPAT became the backbone of India’s electoral process, ensuring faster counting, minimal invalid votes and protection from booth capturing.

“Ironically, the state that once set the standard is now discarding technology and moving against the national trend of digitisation and transparency,” Joshi said.