Ex-Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy calls for using ballot papers

Joining the ongoing debate over the possibility of hacking Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday called for using ballot papers.

“Just as justice should not only be served but should also appear to have been served, so should democracy not only prevail but must appear to be prevalent undoubtedly,” he said in his post on ‘X’. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president mentioned that almost every developed country is using ballot papers.

“In electoral practices across the world in almost every advanced democracy, paper ballots are used, not EVMs. We too must move towards the same in upholding the true spirit of our democracy,” he said. Jagan Mohan Reddy, whose party suffered a crushing defeat in the recent simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, is another Indian politician to join the debate following tech billionaire Elon Musk’s call to eliminate EVMs.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had Sunday termed the EVMs in India a “black box”. “EVMs in India are a “black box,” and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process,” the Congress MP wrote on X.

“Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability,” he added. Rahul Gandhi also cited news reports that the winning candidate in Mumbai North West Lok Sabha was using the phone which was connected to EVMs.

Former chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda also said that the EVMs can be manipulated. “I have spent 60 years in the forefront of electronics, telecom, IT, software, complex systems and a lot more. I have studied EVM system carefully and believe that it is possible to manipulate. The best approach is the traditional paper ballot to count as castes,” he said in a post on ‘X’.