No sense in switching back to paper ballots: Former CECS

NEW DELHI: The demand to bring back paper ballots in the next Lok Sabha elections in place of electronic voting machines (EVMS) being pressed by major opposition parties has not found favour with two former chief election commissioners, who, however, share their opposition to a proposal for simultaneous elections, saying it cannot be “coerced”.

The former chiefs of the Election Commission say that though both the issues are theoretically in the realm of possibility, but, practically, they are neither feasible nor desirable.

They were reacting to a planned move by 17 parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, to approach the election commission to press for restoring the paper ballot system in view of

THE FORMER CECS HAVE REACTED TO A PLANNED MOVE BY 17 PARTIES TO APPROACH THE EC TO PRESS FOR RESTORING THE PAPER BALLOT SYSTEM AND THE FAILURE OF THE VVPAT SLIPS IN RECENT POLLS

the possibility of their manipulation and the failure of the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips in recent elections.

V S Sampath, who demitted office in January 2015 after nearly three years at the helm of the Election Commission, said going back to paper ballots “makes no sense”.

He said with the introduction of VVPAT slips, which the Election Commission has said would be deployed throughout the country in all elections hereafter; there is already a paper ballot system that is going to be in place.

“VVPAT is a credible system by which the voter knows whom he has voted for and his ballot slip has gone into a box which can be retrieved at any time in case of a dispute for verification. It does the job of paper balloting that leaves an audit trail,” he added.

To remove doubts in the minds of political parties, Sampath said the Commission could think of increasing the proportion of counting slips in consultation with parties.