Latest news with #VoterVerifiablePaperAuditTrail
New Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Grounds of Kamal Nath verdict the poll body cites in fight against Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the ruling BJP for 'stealing' over one lakh votes in a seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, the poll body alleged that he was re-cycling an old accusation that was thrown out by the Supreme Court in 2018. Rahul explained that poll roll doctoring is essentially done in five ways — by enrolling duplicate voters, inserting fake and invalid addresses, bulk voters at one address, invalid photos, and the misuse of Form 6 that is used to add new voters. Similar allegations of inflating the voter list in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the 2018 assembly polls were made by the then state Congress president Kamal Nath. In his petition before the Supreme Court, Kamal Nath cited data from a private website to allege a 40% jump in the number of voters in Madhya Pradesh in a decade. When those born in 1991-2001 and attained the age of 18 years between 2008-2018 are taken into account, the increase in the number of voters in the state as per the prevailing trend ought to have been 1,18,18,290. However, the actual jump in the total number of new voters during 2008-2018 was 1,45,13,404, which works out to over 40%. The addition of 26.95 lakh new votes in Madhya Pradesh was inconceivable, he argued. Besides, as many as 36 voters had the same face in the poll rolls, Kamal Nath charged. Rahul similarly alleged that the name of Aditya Srivastava was present in the electoral rolls of three different states. But the ECI in its pushback said the error was rectified months ago. Kamal Nath wrote to the ECI on June 3, 2018 pointing to the humongous errors in the voter list and demanding that it rectify them immediately. The poll body on July 16, 2018 wrote to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) stating that the allegations made by Kamal Nath were not substantiated. It, however, admitted that there were duplicate and fake entries, which had been weeded out. In the process, 24 lakh names were dropped from the voter list published in January 2018. It also admitted that 2,37,234 photo entries were suspicious/ unclear/ blank. In his petition, Kamal Nath essentially sought two reliefs: (a) Directions for conducting random verification of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for 10% of the votes; and (b) soft copies of the draft electoral rolls in text format to all political parties to let them use online tools to identify duplicate or fake voters.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Brothers can decide on alliance, INDIA bloc has no conditions: Uddhav
MUMBAI: While on a trip to New Delhi for an INDIA bloc partners' meeting, when Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray was questioned by media persons on Thursday about the bloc's role in forging an alliance between his party and his cousin Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Thackeray said, 'We two brothers are capable of deciding on an alliance with each other and the INDIA bloc has nothing to do with it. There are no terms and conditions regarding this.' He added that the alliance with MNS was a separate issue about which he will 'speak only in Maharashtra'. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray campaigned for party candidate Trupti Sawant for Bandra by-polls. Trupti Sawant was contesting against Congress heavyweight Narayan Rane. (Photo credit: Sanjay Solanki) Thackeray added that any decision on the alliance with MNS, ahead of the local body polls, will not affect his ties with the INDIA bloc. On the other hand, he slammed the state election commission (SEC) for its announcement that there would be no Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the local body elections. 'In the absence of VVPAT, how will voters confirm that their vote has gone to the party or candidate which they voted for? The SEC is trying to remove the transparency in the election process,' he said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SEC: VVPAT not suited to multi-member ward format
Pune: State election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Thursday clarified that Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines cannot be used in the upcoming civic elections due to technical and structural limitations of the current electoral framework. Speaking to TOI after a review meeting at the divisional commissioner's office, he said, "VVPATs are designed for a single-member electoral system. Municipal corporation, councils, and panchayat elections are conducted under a multi-member ward system. These machines are not compatible with such a format." His comments came a day after the opposition demanded VVPAT be used to enhance transparency in the polls. The opposition suggested that if VVPATs were not feasible, the EC should revert to traditional ballot papers. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Waghmare ruled out both options. "Apart from the mismatch in system design, logistical hurdles such as a large number of candidates per ward make VVPAT deployment unworkable. There is no proposal to return to ballot papers. The elections will be held using EVMs," he said. The SEC has initiated pre-election reviews across all divisions with municipal polls likely after Diwali. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perfectly Timed Photos You Won't Believe Are Real Read More Undo The commission has sought additional EVMs from the Election Commission of India and the Madhya Pradesh Election Commission. "They will be available before the elections," Waghmare said. He also assessed the election preparedness of all five districts in the Pune division and instructed officials to ensure comprehensive planning for free, fair, and peaceful polls. "Priority must be given to voter lists, polling stations, EVMs and voter awareness," he said. The meeting was attended by SEC secretary Suresh Kakani, divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar, district collectors, and municipal commissioners. Waghmare noted that this is the first time that elections to over 650 local bodies in the state will be held simultaneously. "Voters' lists prepared by the Election Commission of India will be used and must be divided meticulously—ward-wise and centre-wise—to ensure accuracy and improve turnout," he said. More polling stations will be needed due to the multi-member format, but consolidation is possible as per SEC norms. "Booths must be accessible and equipped for all voters, including those with disabilities," Waghmare added. Districts have been directed to assess availability of returning officers, assistant returning officers, and polling personnel, and ensure all infrastructure is ready. Kakani emphasized the early verification and security of EVMs. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Congress wants VVPATs, warns of court route in ward demarcation not transparent
Demanding the use of VVPAT machines in local body polls and transparency in the exercise of demarcation of ward boundaries, opposition Congress on Wednesday targeted the State Election commission and state government. 'The state election commissioner clarified that there will be no VVPAT machines in the upcoming local body elections in the state. The reason given for this is that there will be more candidates in one ward, voters will have to cast four votes at a time, so the process will take time and there is a possibility of crowding at the polling station. But VVPAT is necessary for the elections to be held in a transparent manner. Voters should know who they voted for,' said Congress legislative leader Vijay Wadettiwar. He demanded that local body elections in the state should not be held without VVPAT machines. 'If these machines are not available, elections should be held on ballot papers,' he said. While Wadettiwar targeted the SEC, Congress state chief Harshvardhan Sapkal wrote to the state's Urban Development Department and Rural Development department, which are currently engaged in the exercise of demarcation of wards. In his letter, Sapkal said, 'The work of demarcation of ward boundaries is currently undergoing. It is important to ensure that no political interference is entertained in this process…it is important that the staff working in this process should not be subjected to political pressure and the work takes place as per the rules.' Sapkal mentioned that the party will be forced to approach the courts if the department fails to ensure transparency in the process. 'It will be the sole responsibility of the State government if that happens,' he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai on Wednesday also urged the Election Commission to conduct Maharashtra's upcoming local body elections using ballot papers, citing the absence of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. In a letter to the EC, Desai argued that without VVPATs, the transparency and credibility of the election process are compromised. He stated that free and fair elections are not possible without allowing voters to verify their votes, and questioned how voters could be confident in the system without a verifiable paper trail. Desai also pointed out that in several other states, local body polls are conducted using ballot papers, and Maharashtra should follow suit. He criticised the EC for failing to address concerns raised after the previous assembly elections, and reiterated that voters have the right to know where their vote has been cast.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Use VVPATs in Maharashtra local body polls or go back to ballot papers: Congress's Wadettiwar
The opposition Congress on Wednesday (August 6, 2025) demanded that the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra be conducted using VVPAT machines to ensure transparency in the voting process. If the deployment of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines is not feasible, the elections to rural and urban civic bodies should be held using ballot papers, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar said. He was reacting to State Election Commissioner (SEC) Dinesh Waghmare's remarks on Tuesday (August 5, 2025) that VVPATs would not be used in the local body polls due to logistical challenges, including a large number of candidates in each ward and requirement for electors to cast four votes at one time. The use of VVPATs (connected with EVMs through a printer port) without addressing logistical and human resources challenges could lead to long queues and crowding at polling booths, the commissioner had contended. Talking to reporters, Mr. Wadettiwar sought to counter the SEC's arguments, stressing electors must be able to verify their votes, and only VVPAT-enabled EVMs can ensure high level of transparency. "If VVPATs are not available, then ballot papers should be used. The integrity of the election process must not be compromised," the Congress MLA asserted. VVPATs are connected with EVMs through a printer port, which records vote data and counters in a paper slip to verify the correct recording of vote by the EVM. Mr. Waghmare has said the much-awaited elections to local bodies will be held in phases, with the electoral process expected to begin after Diwali. Polls to zilla parishads, panchayat samitis, nagar parishads and municipal corporations are due in the State for long. Replying to a query, Mr. Wadettiwar defended Congress Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi's right to question the central government on matters such as Chinese incursions. He strongly disagreed with the critical observations made by the Supreme Court against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha over his remarks on the Army. Such comments by judges could erode public trust in the judiciary, Mr. Wadettiwar argued. "Judges should not issue certificates of patriotism. It is the opposition's duty to question the government in a democracy," he affirmed. The Congress leader expressed concern over the collegium's recommendation to appoint a former BJP spokesperson as a Bombay High Court judge, maintaining such developments could damage the impartial image of the judiciary.
