Kharge calls for return to ballot papers, attacks EC over electoral rolls
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Sep 30, 2026: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday called for a return to ballot paper voting, alleging that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were being used by the BJP according to its electoral requirements.
Addressing the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi, Kharge said the Opposition should not allow the continued use of EVMs and argued that ballot voting was necessary to restore public confidence in the electoral system. His remarks were part of a wider set of demands by Congress and INDIA bloc parties concerning electoral reforms and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
Kharge also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the functioning of the Election Commission. He alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had been appointed because the government wanted a “rubber stamp” who could help it remain in power.
Referring to reported objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over aspects of the SIR exercise, Kharge questioned Kumar’s continuation as CEC and called for his resignation. The Election Commission has said differences and observations during institutional deliberations are normal and has maintained that SIR-related decisions were taken in accordance with established procedures.
Kharge also criticised the SIR exercise, claiming that 13.3 crore names had been removed from draft electoral rolls. He said genuine voters should not be excluded from the electoral process and demanded greater transparency regarding additions, deletions and corrections in voter lists, including information on who was removed and the reasons for deletion. The figure and the characterisation of the deletions have been disputed in the wider political debate over the revision exercise.
He said the burden should be on the electoral system to ensure that no genuine voter was disenfranchised during the revision process.
Kharge further questioned the process for selecting Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners and raised concerns over provisions of the 2023 law governing their appointment and service conditions, including the immunity provided to election commissioners.
The Congress president said the Opposition would not allow transparency to be replaced by secrecy and stressed the principle of “one person, one vote, one value”.
The meeting was attended by several senior INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. The discussions focused on the Election Commission, SIR, EVMs and electoral reforms.