Bengaluru, March 23 The Legislative Assembly passed the Karnataka Grama Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on Monday after a heated debate over the reintroduction of ballot papers for local body elections, with the opposition BJP staging a walkout and LoP R Ashoka tearing a copy of the Bill before exiting the House.
The Bill seeks to replace Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballot papers in Gram Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat, and Zilla Panchayat elections, with the government arguing that the move is aimed at restoring transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
"The principle of ballot secrecy is the cornerstone of free and fair elections," said Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge, substantiating the government's rationale for the amendment.
Initiating the discussion, he said, "Under Article 326 of the Constitution, it guarantees us the 'Right to Vote'. Elections must be transparent, free, and fair. Ballot secrecy must be protected at all costs."
Citing concerns over EVMs, he said, "Trust in EVMs has been decreasing in recent times."
He further said that several political parties, experts, and NGOs have questioned the ECI, but the poll body has no answers.
Defending the shift, Kharge said, "Many might ask why we are going backward, because we are not getting proper answers from the ECI. This has become inevitable."
He added that several states continue to hold Panchayat elections through ballot papers.
Opposing the move, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said, "This feels like a 'Tughlaq Darbar' moving from here to there and back again."
BJP MLA Sunil Kumar said, "When the Congress got 136 seats in Karnataka, it was via EVM. Why didn't they complain then? We brought EVMs specifically to stop booth capturing and muscle power. You want to bring that back?"
"It is a contrast I've never seen. The Minister for Information Technology (IT) is arguing against technology," he added.
Supporting the government, Congress member Rizwan Arshad said, "Countries much more advanced than ours do not use EVMs. They use ballots."
"Today, the ECI is the most manipulated organisation in the country," he alleged.
Responding to the debate, Kharge said, "We are the largest democracy, and there should be no doubt in the election process. If you are a student of science, you must doubt everything. We are bringing accountability and transparency."
On the financial implications, he said, "If there is extra, we will come to the House with a supplementary budget. We aren't hiding anything."
As the debate turned acrimonious, BJP members staged a walkout, with Ashoka tearing a copy of the Bill in protest before leaving the House.
The Bill was later passed by voice vote.