The Karnataka Congress government is advocating for the use of ballot papers in upcoming local body elections, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress defends its stance by pointing to concerns about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and anomalies in electoral rolls. BJP leaders, however, are calling the decision a regressive step that undermines the national push for digitization.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has defended the decision, noting that some countries have reverted to paper ballots from EVMs. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil stated that the decision to recommend ballot papers was made in response to complaints regarding flaws in electoral rolls and a decline in trust in EVMs. The Cabinet has also moved to empower the State Election Commission (SEC) to prepare and revise voter lists for local bodies, instead of using the rolls prepared for Assembly polls. Patil said the decision would "ensure that the trust remains in the (electoral) system". The government plans to introduce the necessary legal amendments within 15 days.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar questioned the BJP's concerns, while BJP leaders Pralhad Joshi and B.Y. Vijayendra have strongly criticized the move. Vijayendra, the state BJP president, said the Congress party failed to provide any evidence that EVMs were faulty. He added that the government is pushing for paper ballots to appease the party high command, which would undermine the credibility of elections. Ajay Alok of the BJP said that Congress is moving backward while the world is moving forward.

The State Election Commissioner, G.S. Sangreshi, has confirmed that there is no law prohibiting the use of ballot papers in local body polls. He also mentioned that the commission is in the process of disposing of EVMs that have completed their 15-year lifecycle. The SEC officials confirmed that they would use paper ballots in the civic polls in Bengaluru and that the government would provide for the additional expenses incurred.

The Congress party's push for ballot papers follows AICC leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote-theft" campaign, which amplified his allegations of election rigging in the Mahadevapura assembly segment during the previous year's Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat election. Gandhi had alleged that over one lakh votes were stolen out of 6.5 lakh votes in Mahadevapura. He cited instances of duplicate voters, fake or invalid addresses, and bulk registrations at single addresses as evidence of irregularities.

The decision to revert to ballot papers has sparked a political debate in Karnataka, with the Congress and BJP trading accusations over the integrity of the electoral process. The BJP believes that Congress is getting desperate in the face of back-to-back defeats and is batting for ballot papers to rig the elections.