BJP state president BY Vijayendra claimed the decision “amounts to their self-admission that they came to power in the state only through electoral fraud.”
Published Sep 05, 2025 | 6:21 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 05, 2025 | 6:21 PM
Vijayendra argued that ballot-based elections were historically more prone to malpractice.
Synopsis: The Karnataka government’s decision to conduct local body elections using ballot papers has ignited a war of words between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP. Law Minister HK Patil said the move followed widespread complaints of discrepancies in electoral rolls and a decline in public trust in EVMs. BJP State President BY Vijayendra, in turn, alleged it was motivated by an intent to allow electoral malpractice. Defending the move, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar questioned why the BJP was panicking over the decision.
A day after the Karnataka Cabinet decided to hold upcoming local body elections using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs), Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday, 5 September strongly defended the move amid strong objections from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Why should the BJP panic if the state government decides to use ballot papers in local body elections?” Shivakumar asked, responding to allegations by state BJP president BY Vijayendra that it was motivated by an intent to allow electoral malpractice.
“This is a decision of the Karnataka government. Why should the BJP feel anxious about it? The state government has the authority to conduct local body polls. It is a law that was brought in during the BJP government itself. We have now decided to use ballot papers for local body elections. Why are you panicking because of this decision?” he said.
When asked whether ballot papers would also be used in the BBMP elections, he replied, “The government has taken this decision for local body elections.”
BY Vijayendra sharply criticised the Congress government’s decision to use ballot papers for local body elections, claiming it “amounts to their self-admission that they came to power in the state only through electoral fraud.”
“Let the 136 Congress MLAs who were elected in the 2023 state elections through EVM machines first resign, let the nine Congress MPs elected from the state to the Lok Sabha also resign, and then contest again using ballot papers and win. Otherwise, let them admit openly that they came to power through electoral fraud,” he wrote in a post on X.
He argued that ballot-based elections were historically more prone to malpractice.
“In the country, the highest number of complaints in courts regarding illegal voting, electoral fraud, election-related violence, and electoral malpractices have been in elections conducted using ballot papers, and that too mostly against Congress. Let Congressmen open the pages of history and see this. The people of the country have not forgotten that Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country because of the court verdict against her electoral fraud and illegal elections,” he said.
Accusing the Congress of seeking to revive “the dark days of the past,” Vijayendra cited instances from the 1990s, including the Davangere Lok Sabha election, where he alleged ballot papers belonging to a BJP candidate were found discarded in toilets during the recount.
“The only reason Congress supports ballot-paper-based elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi is because ballot papers allow electoral malpractice, booth capturing, and unchecked bogus voting. To implement this, the Congress government of Karnataka has taken the first step in local body elections. Insulting democratic systems and transparent elections is the agenda and goal of the Congress party,” he charged.
Law Minister HK Patil, speaking after Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, said the decision was taken in light of “many discrepancies” observed in the preparation of electoral rolls.
“Recently, people in Karnataka have observed many discrepancies in the preparation of the voters’ list, and a large number of complaints have been received. Allegations have been made that many non-existent voters were included, and discussions have been ongoing for months,” he said.
“Meanwhile, trust in EVMs has generally been declining. Considering the lack of reliability, public sentiment, and opinions, the decision of the Cabinet to conduct elections through ballot papers instead of EVMs has been taken in this context.”
Congress MP and Joint Parliamentary Committee member Dr Syed Naseer Hussain defended the decision, arguing that ballot papers were not outdated and pointing to international practices.
“People have gone back to ballot papers in most of the modern democracies, particularly the western countries,” he said.
“Everyone understands that they could be manipulated and then when there are instances that are shown that they are being manipulated and people don’t have faith in it, I think there is no harm in going back to ballot papers,” he added.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
