BJP's Prasad says return to ballot paper means return to booth capturing

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Amid a push by the opposition parties to revert to ballot paper to hold elections, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday hit back and said a return to the old system would mean going back to the days of booth capturing.

Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on 'election reforms', the former Union law minister said the opposition should not talk of returning to the old ballot paper system.

There are at least two dozen Supreme Court and high court judgments validating the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), he said.

Prasad recalled that the Election Commission had invited parties to hack EVMs in its presence but none turned up.

"Now they are raising a hue and cry (against EVMs)," he said.

Prasad also noted that after the recent Bihar elections, not one plea was received to check the micro-controllers of EVMs.

To boost voters' confidence, a mandatory verification of voter verifiable paper audit trails unit (VVPAT) slips was held for five randomly-selected polling stations per assembly constituency, but no discrepancy was found with the EVM count anywhere in Bihar, he said.

The government has repeatedly ruled out going back to the ballot paper system as EVMs have made the election process faster and safer, Prasad said.

The EVMs crossed an important milestone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls -- of being used in five parliamentary polls since 2004, he added. PTI NAB ARI