Ballot paper suggestion out of scope: Law Ministry to Parl panel on simultaneous polls

The Union Law Ministry has told a Parliamentary panel that the issue of reverting to the ballot paper system does not fall under the committee’s mandate as it examines two bills on simultaneous polls.

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The suggestion to return to the ballot paper system was raised by some members of the joint committee and the Law Ministry was asked to respond in writing. However, the ministry did not directly address the proposal and clarified that the issue of whether to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or ballot papers was not part of the committee’s scope. The ministry is understood to have said that it was “out of scope” for the Parliamentary panel to make recommendations regarding the use of ballot papers.

The committee is specifically tasked with examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, both of which are designed to facilitate the conduct of simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The committee is expected to assess whether the proposed bills are appropriate or need changes.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill establishes a legal framework for holding joint elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, while the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill seeks to align the terms of legislative assemblies in Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir for the same purpose. These three Union Territories have legislative assemblies, and the government has repeatedly stated that it does not favour a return to the ballot paper system. The Supreme Court has also supported the continued use of EVMs, recently rejecting pleas to revive paper ballots, stating that suspicions of tampering were “unfounded.”

While the Law Ministry has responded to several questions from the committee, some queries were directed to the Election Commission for further clarification. The ministry has also explained that conducting simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies does not undermine the federal structure or the democratic process. It pointed out that synchronised elections were held from 1951 to 1967, but this system was disrupted due to various reasons, such as the imposition of President’s rule in certain states.

The ministry noted that, following the adoption of the Constitution, elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held together until 1967. However, the cycle of simultaneous elections was interrupted in 1968 and 1969 due to the premature dissolution of some state legislative assemblies. These disruptions have led to the current pattern of staggered electoral schedules across the country .