SEC must consult political parties on using ballot papers for local polls: Deve Gowda

Bengaluru, Sep 6 (PTI) JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Saturday said the State Election Commission (SEC) must consult all political parties before making a decision to use ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for future local body elections in Karnataka.

His statement comes after the Karnataka government on Thursday decided to recommend to the SEC to hold all the future panchayat and urban local body polls in the state using ballot paper, instead of EVMs.

"It is a matter related to the state election commission (SEC). I read about the state government's cabinet decision, ultimately the election commission has to take a call. Whether the SEC will call all political parties and take their opinion?" Gowda told reporters here.

The government has cited erosion of confidence and credibility among people towards EVMs as the reason for the decision to go back to ballot paper.

The Cabinet has also decided to authorise the state election commission to "prepare, revise and, if necessary, redo" the electoral rolls for local body polls, citing discrepancies in electoral rolls and allegations of "vote theft".

After its loss in Assembly polls in states like Haryana and Maharashtra, the Congress has expressed doubts about the EVM’s infallibility and the election outcome. It has demanded a return to the paper ballot.

Amid the row over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had recently alleged that elections are being "stolen" in India and claimed that his party has figured out the modus operandi of the "vote theft" by studying a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, which had resulted in a huge political controversy.

Earlier, Gowda met a delegation of BJP leaders led by its state President B Y Vijayendra at his residence.

Gowda said they had come to thank him for his stand regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Japan and China, amid the US tariffs, and for his appreciation of the PM for speaking to President Putin of Russia about ending the war in Ukraine.

He said Modi has tried to give a "new dimension", with the policy of "multi-alignment" -- the coming together of India, Russia and China -- amid US President Donald Trump's "reckless and senseless" tariffs against a number of countries. PTI KSU ROH