Bill to replace EVMs with paper ballots in local body polls cleared in K’taka assembly

The state legislative assembly on Monday passed the bill proposing the replacement of electronic voting machines with paper ballots in Karnataka’s local body elections, even as opposition parties chose to boycott the vote after a heated exchange on the floor of the House. Bill to replace EVMs with paper ballots in local body polls cleared in K’taka assembly

The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026 mandates ballot- based voting for gram panchayat, taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat elections.

Before leaving, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka tore up a copy of the Bill, calling it “retrograde” and “anti democratic”.

The government framed the shift as a response to unresolved concerns around electronic voting. Piloting the legislation, state rural development and panchayati raj minister Priyank Kharge said irregular patterns in polling and counting had raised questions. “There has been a big surge in turnout after 5 pm in many States. There are discrepancies in votes polled and votes counted. The Election Commission of India has not satisfactorily answered the questions raised, prompting us to shift to ballot papers,” he said.

He said the decision followed what he described as a growing “trust deficit” in the voting process, arguing that electronic systems lack transparency and function like a “black box”.

Opposition members accused the government of undermining institutions and reversing technological progress. Senior BJP legislator Suresh Kumar said, “It is ironic that the IT and BT minister has tabled a bill that is anti technology and takes the State back in time.” Ashoka said it was contradictory for the Congress, which introduced EVMs, to now move away from them.

Supporting the government, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad said paper ballots are widely used internationally, including in technologically advanced countries. He also criticised the Election Commission, alleging a lack of transparency. “The Election Commission is the most manipulated organisation in the country today. It is a pawn of the BJP and supporting only the BJP,” he said. He added that requests for machine readable voter rolls and CCTV footage from polling booths had not been addressed.

Kharge countered criticism by pointing to practices in other regions, saying ballot papers are still used in several states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam, as well as in parts of the United States such as Silicon Valley.