Maharashtra Congress to launch campaign demanding return of ballot papers

Maharashtra Congress chief initiates signature campaign for return of ballot papers, sparking nationwide debate on EVMs.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday (November 27, 2024) said the party will initiate a signature campaign demanding the return of traditional ballot papers in elections in the country. Mr. Patole said “crores of signatures” will be obtained and submitted to the President, Prime Minister, Chief Election Commissioner, and the Chief Justice of India.

Mr. Patole said the campaign will begin in two days. He further said Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will soon embark on a nationwide tour stressing the use of ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). His comments follow that of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who on Tuesday had called for ballot paper voting. Mr. Kharge had also said that his party should start a campaign on the scale of Bharat Jodo Yatra on the issue.

Mr. Patole said, “The Congress will be the voice of people, who question the credibility of Maharashtra election results. We will lead a people’s movement. The Congress fought for Independence and will now fight to save democracy. This is not about political but public sentiments.”

Meanwhile, the Congress’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), on Wednesday decided to form legal teams to fight the EVM issue. 

Mr. Patole stated he does not agree with the Supreme Court’s decision allowing use of EVMs. “The SC’s decision on EVMs is political. It should have taken into account arguments based on constitutional provisions concerning voter rights. Doubts over votes that decide the government needs to be cleared,” he said.

However, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule advised the MVA to accept its defeat rather than blaming EVMs. Pointing to MVA’s Nanded Lok Sabha byelection victory, he said, “So EVMs were working fine in Nanded? We lost the Lok Sabha election in the State, accepted it, introspected and moved on. We went into action mode at booth level and connected with people. All these [MVA’s statements on EVMs] are lies,” he said addressing the media in the Nagpur district.

Veteran social activist Baba Adhav, 95, who had participated in the Goa Liberation and Samyukta Maharashtra movements, announced that he will stage a symbolic protest by observing a fast for three days, from November 28 at the Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune district against the “ongoing mockery of the Constitution and democracy”.