Ballot papers will replace electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming elections for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), scheduled for May-June, the Karnataka Election Commission announced on Monday.
The Commission did not specify any particular reason for the shift to the ballot system, simply stating that the law allows for their use.
“Since there is no restriction on the use of ballot papers and no court directive against it, we will proceed with the ballot system,” said State Election Commissioner G.S. Sangreshi during a media briefing attended by commissioners of all five city corporations.
In India, the mandatory use of EVMs applies only to elections for state Assemblies and Parliament, Sangreshi added, noting that the decision to use ballot papers was made after consulting stakeholders and is in line with existing legal provisions.
Notably, the decision follows a recommendation made last year by the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka cabinet to conduct all future local body elections using ballot papers.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil cited a decline in public trust and the credibility of EVMs as the reason behind the move. However, the BJP strongly opposed the shift, arguing that the highest number of illegal votes, complaints of vote theft, election violence, and irregularities had been registered in courts during elections that used ballot papers.
The last elections to the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were held using EVMs in August 2015.
Draft voter list released
The Commission on Monday also announced the draft voter list for the GBA elections. Greater Bengaluru has a total of 8,891,411 voters, including 4,569,193 men, 4,320,583 women, and 1,635 voters in the 'other' category.
Ward 23 of the Bengaluru West City Corporation has the largest number of voters at 49,530, while Ward 16 of the Bengaluru East City Corporation has the smallest, with 10,926.
Voters can file objections or submit corrections to the list from January 20 to February 3. Additionally, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification to cross-check voter details.
The final voter list is expected to be published on March 16. According to the Election Commission, the GBA elections will be held between May 25 and June 30.