The Asian Age

Cong pushes Nath to ditch EVMs for ballot papers

- RABINDRA NATH CHOUDHURY

Ruling Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Friday mounted pressure on chief minister Kamal Nath to return to ballot paper voting in the ensuing local body polls in the state in the state, scheduled to be held in January 2020.

The demand comes in the wake of the Bhupesh Baghel government initiating steps to dump Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the upcoming urban local body elections in Chhattisga­rh, scheduled to be held in December this year, and hold the polls with ballot papers.

“MP should follow Chhattisga­rh and use ballot paper in the upcoming urban local body elections here. I appeal to chief minister Mr Kamal Nath to return to ballot paper in

◗ The demand comes in the wake of the Bhupesh Baghel government initiating steps to dump Electronic Voting Machine in the upcoming urban local body elections in Chhattisga­rh, scheduled to be held in December

the upcoming urban local body elections in MP”, a Twitter post by Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedy said on Friday.

Sources in the ruling party disclosed to this newspaper here on Friday that majority of ministers in the Kamal Nath cabinet were keen to hold the upcoming local body elections with ballot paper.

“A team of state ministers is going to meet Mr Nath to persuade him to go back to ballot paper instead of using EVMs in the ensuing local body

POLLS

polls”, sources said.

Mr Chaturvedy justified the demand for holding local body elections with ballot paper, saying that a section of experts still doubted if EVMs were fully temper proof.

Besides, Congress has been spearheadi­ng the campaign for doing away with EVMs and return to ‘time tested’ ballot papers to ensure free and fair elections in the country, he said.

 ?? — PTI ?? King of the Netherland­s Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visit Alappuzha, Kerala, on Friday in the last leg of theit tour to India. They left for their country after concluding five-day tour.
— PTI King of the Netherland­s Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visit Alappuzha, Kerala, on Friday in the last leg of theit tour to India. They left for their country after concluding five-day tour.
 ??  ?? Kamal Nath
Kamal Nath

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