Karnataka to use ballot papers for local body polls, separate voter list

Taking Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's Vote Chori Abhiyan campaign to the next level, the Congress-led government in Karnataka has decided to bring back the ballot paper system, instead of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), in the next local body polls.

In another bold and confrontational move, the state is all set to create a separate voter list altogether.

In what is seen as a direct challenge to the BJP-led Centre and the Election Commission of India (EC), the Siddaramaiah government is sending a clear signal that it will not tolerate what it alleges "vote theft" and will actively work to ensure electoral integrity, a key theme of Rahul Gandhi's national campaign. The legal modalities and other logistics are being worked out.

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Meanwhile, State Election Commissioner GS Sangreshi said they will switch to ballot papers for local elections once the state government changes the laws.

Mahadevapura effect

For the record, Rahul Gandhi’s 'vote theft' campaign started from Karnataka. At a rally in Bengaluru, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of coming to power at the Centre by stealing votes. He even showed documents claiming that votes were stolen in the Mahadevapura constituency of Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. He also alleged that this “vote theft” helped BJP win over Congress in several constituencies.

Earlier too, Congress leaders had often alleged that the BJP came to power through the misuse of EVMs.

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On Thursday, the Cabinet Meeting, chaired by CM Siddaramaiah, decided to recommend that the upcoming gram panchayat, taluk panchayat, jilla panchayat and municipal elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of EVMs. For this, necessary law amendments will also be made.

Separate voters' list

Taking a step further, the Congress government has decided that the state election commission itself will prepare separate voter lists for local body elections, rather than using the voter lists prepared by the Central Election Commission. For this, the government will amend the Panchayat Raj Act, a decision that has received Cabinet approval.

Cites technical reasons too

Apart from the alleged electoral fraud, the state government also cites technical reasons like a shortage of EVMs and the challenge of holding gram panchayat and jilla panchayat elections together. Interestingly, the State Election Commission itself had earlier shown interest in using ballot papers. Elections have not been held for the last four years, so both must now be conducted together.

Time to dump EVMs, says CM

''We have decided that elections should be conducted using ballot papers instead of EVMs. Once again, serious doubts have been raised about the transparency and reliability of EVMs. Many advanced countries in the world also returned to ballot papers after facing doubts about EVMs. In a democracy, the voting process must be fully transparent, and there should be no scope for confusion or mistrust among voters. That is why we strongly support the use of ballot papers,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told media on Friday (September 5).

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Explaining the move, Law Minister HK Patil said, ''Voters in Karnataka will once again cast their vote using ballot papers in local elections. The government has also decided to allow the State Election Commission to update, correct, and restructure the voter list so that a 'quality list' is prepared. For this, the Cabinet has approved the necessary changes in law and rules. Recently, people in Karnataka noticed many errors in voter lists, and thousands of complaints were filed. Many names of non-existent voters were added. Because of this and the growing distrust in EVMs, the Cabinet felt elections should be held with ballot papers instead.''

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The State Election Commission is an independent body and has the responsibility of preparing the voter list. Section 165 of the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, Section 14 of the Karnataka Municipality Act, and Section 35 of the Greater Bangalore Act explain how elections should be held. The Cabinet has decided to recommend new rules and procedures for these local body elections.

Making the law in 15 days

The Cabinet must approve any change and then submit it to the Governor. If it becomes law, it must be passed in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. However, since the winter session is in November, it is challenging to get it done immediately. So the government is preparing to issue an ordinance to quickly allow ballot paper voting and separate voter lists through the State Election Commission. Once the ordinance is issued, the Commission will get the power to add or remove names from voter lists and to use ballot papers instead of EVMs in local elections. This will also reduce dependence on the Chief Electoral Officer’s office. Sources indicate that the modalities will be finalised within the next 15 days.

Many advanced countries in the world also returned to ballot papers after facing doubts about EVMs. In a democracy, the voting process must be fully transparent

The State Election Commission is ready to use ballot papers instead of EVMs for local body elections.

“Once the state government makes changes to the existing laws, we will take steps to conduct local elections using ballot papers,” State Election Commissioner GS Sangreshi told The Federal.