'Out of your scope': Government to ONOE JPC on reverting to ballot paper

NEW DELHI: Union ministry of law has told the joint parliamentary committee on simultaneous polls that the decision to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or ballot papers for casting votes does not fall under its ambit after some of the members "suggested" reverting to ballot papers, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Responding to the suggestions made by the JPC in writing, the ministry said that it was "out of scope" of the parliamentary panel to suggest the use of ballot paper system.
"Whether to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or ballot papers for casting votes is not the subject the panel is examining," they underlined.
According to PTI, the ministry answered some of the questions, while some others were sent to the Election Commission for a calibrated response.
The government has on several occasions told Parliament that it does not favour returning to the ballot paper system and the Supreme Court too has weighed in favour of using EVMs.
The Supreme Court also rejected pleas for reviving paper ballots, holding that suspicions regarding tampering of voting machines were "unfounded".
The ministry has also told the committee that holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is not undemocratic and does not hurt the federal structure.
The Committee is expected to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the next parliamentary session. However, given the complexity of the subject, its tenure may be extended.
The government has touted the ‘One Nation, One Election’ framework as a transformative reform to streamline governance, reduce election-related expenses, and minimize the disruption caused by frequent electoral cycles.
However, the initiative has drawn criticism from some opposition parties, who argue that it could centralize power and undermine federalism.
Elections were held simultaneously in the past before the cycle was broken due to various reasons, including the imposition of President's rule in some states.