Ballot papers for election in Maharashtra! Uddhav government may pass new law soon

Mumbai : Apart from EVMs, voters can get the option to vote through ballot paper in Maharashtra as well and the practice of making laws for this has started. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Nana Patole has directed to make a law in this regard on Tuesday. Nana Patole said on Tuesday that he has asked the state legislature to enact a law to give voters the option of using ballot paper in addition to EVMs in local body elections and state assembly elections.

According to a statement issued on the Facebook page of Speaker Nana Patole, a person named Pradeep Ukke, who hails from Nagpur, had submitted an application in this regard to the Speaker and accordingly a meeting was held in Vidhan Bhavan to discuss the same. State Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh, State Chief Electoral Officer Baldev Singh and others were also present for the meeting.

Talking to the complaints of tampering with EVMs, Nana Patole, speaking to news agency PTI, said, ‘I have asked the state government to enact a law in this regard. The state government can make a law. In the past, doubts were raised during elections.’ He said that voting is a fundamental right and anyone should have the option to cast a vote using ballot paper or EVM.

There have been frequent complaints of EVM tampering in elections. This is the reason that apart from EVMs in Maharashtra, the practice of making laws regarding the option of ballot paper has intensified. Many parties, including Congress, have accused the Election Commission of withdrawing the ballot paper system, alleging tampering of EVMs in elections.

Advocate Satish Uke said on behalf of the applicant on Tuesday that it is the right of voters to have the option of voting through EVMs as well as ballot papers. He said that it should be left to the people to decide whether EVMs or ballot papers are reliable and it is the responsibility of the legislature to enact a law keeping in mind the public sentiments.

Significantly, many opposition parties across the country have accused the tampering with EVMs on several occasions and demanded withdrawal of ballot paper system. However, the BJP had earlier targeted opposition parties to raise doubts on the credibility of EVMs. Maharashtra has a Mahavikas Aghadi coalition government, comprising Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP. The BJP is in the role of opposition in the state.