Assembly tables four Bills, including one on paper ballots

Four Bills were tabled in the Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday, including one proposing a return to paper ballots for local body elections amid concerns over EVM credibility and voter privacy.

The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026, tabled in the Assembly, aims to amend the Act of 1993, to ensure that elections are conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner, reflecting the democratic will of the people under Article 326 of the Constitution of India. Further, it aims to ensure the secrecy of the ballot for voters and protect them from coercion, intimidation, and undue influence, thereby safeguarding the sanctity of the democratic process, it said, adding that “it also aims to strengthen electoral mechanisms that prioritise anonymity and transparency.”

Noting that some concerns have been raised regarding the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), necessitating a return to the “robust” secret ballot paper system to restore public trust, the Bill stated that the “decision of the Karnataka government to revert to paper ballots for local body elections, reflects a growing consensus on the need to strengthen electoral mechanisms that prioritize anonymity and transparency.”

The Congress government in Karnataka in September last year had decided to recommend to the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold all future panchayat and urban local body polls in the state using ballot paper instead of Electronic Voting Machines, claiming an erosion of confidence and credibility, among the people towards EVMs.

Also tabled in the assembly was the ‘Karnataka Jnana Bhandar Manuscripts and Digitisation Bill, 2026’, which provides for the survey, documentation, conservation, digitisation, research, publication and public access of manuscripts in the State.