During a recent meeting of the INDIA opposition bloc, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called for the electoral system to revert from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to traditional paper ballots. This demand comes amidst ongoing debates regarding the transparency and integrity of India’s current voting infrastructure.

The timing of Kharge’s statement is linked to recent reports concerning the internal operations of the Election Commission of India. According to a report by the Indian Express, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded objections 14 times over a 10-month period. These objections reportedly concerned decisions and orders related to the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) process and other administrative functions under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

While Kharge and the INDIA bloc have framed the move to paper ballots as a necessary step to ensure public trust in the democratic process, the Election Commission has consistently maintained that EVMs are secure and tamper-proof. The disagreement highlights a persistent divide between opposition leaders, who argue that the current system lacks sufficient oversight, and the election body, which defends the technological transition as a modernization of the voting process. The internal dissent noted in the Indian Express report has provided new momentum for opposition parties to challenge the current electoral framework.