Karnataka's Return to Ballot

ITH the Karnataka government deciding to go for paper ballots for the upcoming local body elections, forgoing electronic voting machines or EVMs, the State Election Commission (SEC) faces challenges in conducting a free and fair exercise.

- B S ARUN

The Congress-ruled state's decision is not only aligned with the party's national campaign to return to paper ballots, but also follows the allegations the party's central leadership made against the Election Commission of India (ECI) for 'manipulation' of the poll process.

It is now incumbent on the SEC, an independent body, to show that it can prepare a voters' list free of manipulation and conduct paper polling free of discrepancy.

Ever since the Lok Sabha polls last year—and more stridently after the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections that followed—the Congress has intensified its campaign charging the ECI of helping the BJP "steal" elections through manipulation of electoral rolls and EVMs.

Now, given the Karnataka government's decision, among the first responsibilities of the SEC would be to prepare the rolls of the state's 5.52 crore electors, as per a 2025 revision. A clean roll is vital for any democracy; it should ensure that no genuine voter is left out of the system. In this regard, while announcing the state cabinet decision to go for paper ballots, law minister H K Patil pointed out: "The cabinet has decided to authorise the SEC to prepare, revise, and, if required, redo the electoral rolls for these polls."