Patole urges return to ballot papers for rural polls amid EVM trust deficit

Nagpur: Congress on Friday renewed its demand for a return to ballot papers in Maharashtra's local body elections, with former MPCC president and Sakoli MLA Nana Patole urging authorities to scrap electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls.In a letter to the state election commissioner and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Patole said the recently concluded elections to 29 municipal corporations had "completely torn the veil off the election system". He argued that low voter turnout in urban areas was not due to apathy but a reflection of declining public trust. "The extremely low turnout is an indicator of eroding confidence among voters. People have lost trust in EVMs," Patole told TOI.Questioning Maharashtra's continued reliance on EVMs, he said several states had reverted to ballot papers to avoid disputes and maintain credibility. Patole also flagged what he termed serious administrative lapses during the civic polls, including discrepancies in voter lists, confusion over polling booth locations and voters spending hours searching for their booths before returning without voting.Raising concerns over transparency, the former Speaker said the absence of the VVPAT system in municipal elections denied voters the right to verify their votes. He also cited complaints that indelible ink could be easily washed off, further fuelling doubts about the integrity of the process.Describing Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls as the backbone of democracy, Patole warned that conducting them amid mistrust would have long-term consequences and urged a return to ballot papers.