New Delhi, Feb 22: The Congress party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to take advice from US President Donald Trump regarding the use of paper ballots instead of electronic machines, highlighting concerns about the integrity of India’s electoral process.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) apparent disregard for global opinions and their lack of commitment to transparency.
“Will PM Modi listen to his closest friend Donald Trump’s suggestion about using ballot papers and same-day voting, and respond to the widespread doubts regarding the integrity of our elections?” Venugopal inquired in a post on X.
He expressed confidence that Trump would also be alarmed by the unusual surge in voter numbers in Maharashtra, as well as the suspicious removal of opposition votes, referencing Trump’s comments during a governors’ meeting.
During that meeting, Trump advocated for governors to adopt paper ballots and same-day voting, claiming electronic machines are costly.
“It is unfortunate that the BJP pretends to be oblivious to what is evident to everyone globally, that the electoral system can be easily manipulated, and their efforts to avoid transparency only fuel our concerns about their malpractices,” Venugopal stated.
The Congress has been pushing for a return to paper ballots for some time, alleging that the reliability of electronic voting machines is questionable, even as the Election Commission (EC) maintains that no one has proven any misconduct concerning EVMs.
The government has consistently informed Parliament that reverting to the paper-ballot system is not an option. (PTI)
