EVM or ballot paper in municipal polls? BJP leaders seek answer from state election commission

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by Mukul Roy went to the office of the state election commissioner on Friday to learn whether the coming municipal elections will be conducted on ballot papers or through in electronic voting machines (EVM). Roy was accompanied by BJP leaders Jay Prakash Majumdar and Sabyasachi Dutta.

The Trinamool Congress had requested the commission to conduct the municipal and panchayat elections through ballot. The state election commission officials told the BJP delegation that no decision had been taken yet. A similar request had also been received by the commission through the state municipal affairs and urban development department. The ultimate decision is taken by the commission though, and it may be finalised around February 10.

Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been raising the matter for several years. She and her party leaders have expressed doubts and fears about the authenticity of EVMs. She has said that EVMs can be easily tampered with. As many as 22 opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress had approached the Election Commission of India to replace EVMs with ballot papers with respect to the national elections. However, the EC has not taken any decision to move away from EVMs.

Since panchayat and municipal polls are conducted through the state machinery, it is possible therefore, that the state commission might give clearance to the use of ballots. The last panchayat polls were held on ballot paper.

On the Martyrs’ Day programme in 2019 July, following the Lok Sabah elections, Banerjee stated the need to bring back ballot papers in elections.