Mumbai:- Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar has urged the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) to ensure the use of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines or ballot papers in the upcoming local body elections, stressing the need for transparency and public trust in the electoral process.
In a letter to the SEC, Wadettiwar said political parties across several states have raised concerns over alleged vote tampering, and avoiding VVPATs would only deepen such doubts. “The claim that VVPATs take more time due to the large number of votes should not come at the cost of transparency,” he said.
He insisted that local body polls should either use VVPATs or ballot papers to ensure fair conduct and dispel public mistrust.
However, Maharashtra SEC Dinesh Waghmare has ruled out VVPAT use, citing unavailability and noting that no other state election commission uses them for such polls. The process is expected to begin after Diwali.
The decision has sparked political criticism, with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray questioning the purpose of elections without VVPATs, remarking, “VVPATs were introduced when doubts were raised about EVMs. Now, if you’re not going to use them, why even conduct elections?”
