Bengaluru Civic Polls To Use Ballot Papers Instead Of EVMs, With 88.91 Lakh Voters Registered Across 369 Wards

The Karnataka State Election Commission has indicated that elections to the newly constituted Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) are expected to be held after 25 May, with voting to be conducted using ballot papers.

The decision comes amid sustained objections by the Congress party, both at the state and national levels, over the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which were deployed during the last Bengaluru civic elections.

Clarifying the commission’s position, Karnataka Chief Election Commissioner GS Sangreshi said the electoral process, including the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, is being carried out in line with established norms.

“For this SIR, we are also doing the same process only. We are correcting the list, their names, and details,” he said.

Explaining the choice of ballot papers, Sangreshi underlined that the method is legally valid and constitutionally sound.

“These GBA polls will be conducted through ballot papers. The Supreme Court has also said there is nothing wrong with using ballot papers. In GBA also, there is a provision to use it,” he stated.

Emphasising institutional autonomy, he added, “The ECI takes its decision; in the same way, the State Election Commission also takes the decision. It will be a hundred per cent success.”

Sangreshi also noted that ballot paper voting remains common globally. “This is not banned. We are doing it. Even developed countries like the USA conduct elections using ballot papers. Only MLA and MP elections are conducted using EVMs,” he said.

Following the announcement, the BJP launched a sharp political attack on the Congress.

“It was Rajeev Gandhi who introduced EVM for polls. But the Congress party, in order to impress Rahul Gandhi, is resorting to ballot papers for local body polls. Whether it is EVM or ballot paper, the defeat of Congress is sure,” said BJP spokesperson Prakash S.

Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has released ward-wise draft electoral rolls for the five city municipal corporations under the GBA framework.

Spread across 369 wards, the draft list records 88,91,411 voters. Claims and objections can be filed between 20 January and 3 February, with the final rolls scheduled for publication on 16 March, 2026.

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