Will PM Pay Heed to His Best Friend Trump’s Ballot Paper Remark: Congress
The Indian National Congress has recently urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to adopt paper ballot voting, citing the remark made by his “best friend”, US President Donald Trump, who recently urged governors at the White House to switch to paper ballots. The Congress leader, KC Venugopal, took to Twitter to express his concern and ask if the Prime Minister would pay heed to his friend’s suggestion.
Venugopal’s tweet read, “Will our PM pay heed to his ‘best friend’s’ remark on paper ballots and address concerns about the integrity of our electoral process? I’m sure his best friend will…be appalled at…abnormal increase of…voters in Maharashtra.” This tweet was in response to Trump’s recent remark urging governors to switch to paper ballots, which has sparked a heated debate in the country.
The debate over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) versus paper ballots has been ongoing in India for years, with many arguing that the former is vulnerable to manipulation and tampering. The Congress, in particular, has been a vocal critic of the use of EVMs, citing several instances of alleged tampering and irregularities in past elections.
Trump’s recent remark, therefore, has given the Congress an opportunity to reiterate its stance on the issue and urge the Prime Minister to adopt a more transparent and secure voting system. Venugopal’s tweet suggests that the Congress believes that Trump’s suggestion is in line with its own views on the matter and that the Prime Minister should take heed of his friend’s advice.
The issue of EVMs has been a contentious one in India, with many arguing that they are prone to hacking and tampering. In 2017, the Election Commission of India (ECI) faced criticism after a video surfaced showing a Bhima Koregaon MLA, Pradeep Kamble, allegedly tampering with an EVM. The incident sparked widespread protests and calls for the use of paper ballots.
The Congress has been at the forefront of the campaign against EVMs, with many of its leaders and workers claiming that the machines are vulnerable to manipulation. In 2019, the party’s chief, Rahul Gandhi, even went so far as to say that EVMs were “compromised” and that the country needed to switch to paper ballots.
Trump’s recent remark has given the Congress an opportunity to reiterate its stance on the issue and urge the Prime Minister to adopt a more transparent and secure voting system. The party has been pushing for the use of paper ballots for years, and Trump’s suggestion has given it a boost in its efforts to reform the electoral process.
The debate over EVMs is not limited to India, however. Many countries around the world are also grappling with the issue of how to ensure the integrity of their electoral processes. In the United States, for example, there have been concerns about the security of electronic voting systems, with some experts arguing that they are vulnerable to hacking and manipulation.
The use of paper ballots, on the other hand, is seen as a more secure and transparent way of voting. Paper ballots are less prone to tampering and hacking, and they provide a physical record of each vote that can be audited and verified. This makes them a more reliable and trustworthy option for voters.
In conclusion, the Congress’s call for the Prime Minister to adopt paper ballot voting is a timely and relevant one. The use of EVMs has been a contentious issue in India for years, and Trump’s recent remark has given the party an opportunity to reiterate its stance on the matter. The use of paper ballots is a more secure and transparent way of voting, and it is an option that should be seriously considered by the government.
As the world grapples with the issue of how to ensure the integrity of their electoral processes, the use of paper ballots is an option that should be explored. It is a more secure and transparent way of voting, and it is an option that could help to restore faith in the democratic process.
