Legally, the action is clear and above reproach. The recent cabinet decision of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka to replace EVMs with ballot paper for local body elections is well within acceptable parameters of functioning. Yet, given the massive trust deficit between the warring Opposition group – BJP, JD(S) combine – and that of the GOP, this move has at once raised a lot of questions, invited controversies and brought the impartial role of Election Commission into focus.

The alacrity with which the State Election Commissioner welcomed the Cabinet decision and assured the government of having to face no legal obstacle in this regard means that the existing government wants to check out two things: the political mood at the ground level after the ruling party has witnessed a series of domain warfare and group politics, not to speak of the Dharmasthala debacle and an assorted set of unresolved problems at every level.

Secondly, it wants to show to the country that polls can be held in a ‘fair and free’ manner using the erstwhile method of paper ballots, despite the complaint of malpractices plaguing it over the decades the EVMs replaced this method.

The consensual, even pliant tone of the local election official G S Sangreshi reveals it all. “If the state government brings an enactment legally and guidelines are framed, we will have to implement it. Whether it is justifiable or not has been decided by them. They have considered public opinion and held discussions on the matter. Hence, there will be no hindrance to using ballot papers,” Sangreshi has said. Of course, the combative Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar used the opportunity rather expectedly to taunt the BJP and ask them why are they worried if ballot papers are used.

The Law Minister explained the reasoning behind the move to state that there was an ‘erosion of credibility and public confidence in EVMs’ in line with the national campaign unleashed by their leader Rahul Gandhi who has kept on the ‘vote chori’ chant to cast a web of suspicion on the entire electoral process undertaken in recent elections in India. With the south-western state eager to be in the good books of the party High Command as ever, it is very likely that the reversal to the previous mode of polling for the local body polls, which is a state government prerogative, will be implemented.

BJP, using historical data to bring in the infamous moves of Indira Gandhi after she lost the polls and imposed Emergency in the 1970s, stuck to is narrative of accusing the Congress of wanting to facilitate ‘booth violence and fraudulent voting’ and at the same time insulting technology when the whole world was embracing it. Rather interestingly, Sangreshi had also helpfully added that the paper ballot usage during the local body polls will be welcome as the villagers are used to it during panchayat polls.

While the Congress may have got its wish fulfilled to use a different route to conduct polls, it may end up losing the opportunity to blame the Opposition or the EC if they end up getting defeated. If they win, then they have to face the constant, carping criticism of the Opposition who may end up blaming them for ‘vote chori’ instead. The battle for the ballot has just begun….