Former Andhra CM Jagan Reddy calls for ballot papers instead of EVMs

AMARAVATI: Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, asserted on Tuesday that in "upholding the true spirit of our democracy," ballot papers must be used in place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

In a post on X, YS Jagan said, "Just as justice should not only be served but should also appear to have been served, so should democracy not only prevail but must appear to be prevalent undoubtedly. In electoral practices across the world, in almost every advanced democracy, paper ballots are used, not EVMs. We too must move towards the same in upholding the true spirit of our democracy."

Several opposition leaders are raising questions about the EVMs and pressing about using ballot papers instead in the electoral process.

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on Monday said that ballot papers must replace EVMs and emphasized that the Congress party has been constantly raising the demand for ballot papers but the centre has shown reluctance.

"Voting is our fundamental right. There is a question in front of people if their vote gets delivered in favour of the candidate whom they cast their vote for. Why doesn't the central government use ballot paper for voting?" Patole pointed out.

"The developed countries including the US and Japan have been practicing voting on a ballot paper. Then why not in India? Congress has been asking the same question repeatedly," Patole said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday said that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to clear the doubt of voters in this country adding that the "constitutional methods" of the country should not be affected and the election process should be "free and fair."

CPI General Secretary D Raja said that the credibility of EVMs has become an issue and people are questioning it.

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described EVMs as a "black box" and said serious concerns have been raised about transparency in the country's electoral process.

"EVMs in India are a "black box," and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," he said in a post on 'X'.

The remarks came after a report by a Mumbai-based newspaper that Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar's relative was carrying a mobile phone inside a counting centre in Maharashtra's Goregaon that was allegedly used for generating the OTP that unlocked the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).