Ex-AP CM Jagan joins bandwagon, calls for using ballot papers

YSR Congress Party president mentioned that almost every developed country is using ballot papers

Amaravati: Joining the ongoing debate over the possibility of hacking Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday called for using ballot papers.

“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,” he said in his post on X.

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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.…

— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) June 18, 2024

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president mentioned that almost every developed country is using ballot papers. “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,” he said.

Jaganmohan Reddy, whose party suffered crushing defeat in the recent simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, is another Indian politician to join the debate following tech billionaire Elon Musk‘s call to eliminate EVMs.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had Sunday termed the EVMs in India a “black box”. “EVMs in India are a ‘black box’, and nobody is allowed to scrutinise them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process,” the Congress MP wrote on X.

 

When democratic institutions are captured, the only safeguard lies in electoral processes that are transparent to the public.

EVM is currently a black box. EC must either ensure complete transparency of the machines and processes, or abolish them.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 17, 2024

“Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability,” he added. Rahul Gandhi also cited news reports that the winning candidate in Mumbai North West Lok Sabha was using the phone which was connected to EVMs.

Former chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda also said that the EVMs can be manipulated. “I have spent 60 years in the forefront of electronics, telecom, IT, software, complex systems and a lot more. I have studied EVM system carefully and believe that it is possible to manipulate. The best approach is the traditional paper ballot to count as castes,” he said in a post on X.