Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday announced that upcoming elections to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs), rejecting the BJP’s demand for EVM-based polling.
State Election Commissioner G.S. Sangreshi said both EVMs and ballot papers are accepted practices, but the choice rests with the SEC. “There is legislation that empowers the SEC to choose between ballot papers and EVMs. Based on our own assessment as an independent body, we have decided to use ballots,” he told TOI.
EVMs have been used only twice in Bengaluru’s civic elections — in 2010 and 2015. The announcement came alongside the release of the draft electoral rolls by the SEC and the GBA.
- Ramachandran, Special Commissioner (Elections), GBA, said the five municipal corporations together have nearly 89 lakh voters. The final electoral rolls are expected by March 16, and the SEC indicated that elections could be held after May 25.
The decision comes amid a broader political debate over voting methods. The Congress has been vocal in its criticism of EVMs at the national level, and in April 2025, the Karnataka cabinet had recommended the use of ballot papers for local body elections. The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, permits polls to be conducted using either ballots or EVMs.
Bengaluru Development Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar said the decision was entirely that of the SEC. “What’s wrong with that? Ballot is stronger than bullet. Let elections happen. The most important thing is voting; the rest is for the SEC to decide,” he said. Referring to legislation introduced during the previous BJP government allowing the use of ballots, he added that the process was fully within the legal framework.
Sangreshi dismissed concerns that ballot-based elections are more time-consuming. “Ballot papers are used in most local body elections. We cannot reject them simply because they may take longer. That argument does not hold in a democracy. Ballots allow voters to clearly see and understand whom they are voting for, without relying on any other mechanism,” he said.
