NCP Criticizes Maharashtra EC Over Non-Use of VVPAT in Municipal Elections

The Pune faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharadchandra Pawar, has come down hard on the Maharashtra State Election Commission for its contentious decision to bypass Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in the forthcoming municipal corporation elections. The NCP insists that if VVPATs are unavailable, traditional ballot papers should be utilized to guarantee transparency and maintain public faith in the electoral process. Addressing ANI, senior NCP leader Rahul Kalate, who ran unsuccessfully for the Chinchwad constituency against BJP's Shankar Jagtap, voiced concerns over the decision. 'As civic elections gain momentum, the State Election Commission's surprising choice not to deploy VVPAT machines due to insufficient availability raises the specter of potential electoral fraud,' he remarked.

Kalate further expressed doubts about the Election Commission's credibility, highlighting suspicions regarding its conduct in the previous assembly elections. 'This decision risks exacerbating voter confusion and diminishing trust in the Commission's neutrality,' he warned. Kalate called for immediate accountability, stating, 'The absence of VVPAT-backed voting necessitates a reversion to traditional ballot paper elections. VVPAT is indispensable for verifying the integrity of votes cast via EVMs.'

Following his 2024 electoral loss in the state assembly elections, Kalate filed a petition seeking a recount in Chinchwad, citing counting discrepancies. The NCP Sharad Pawar faction has clearly stated it won't tolerate an opaque election process, promising to escalate its campaign for ballot paper elections should the State Election Commission not reconsider its VVPAT stance.

The controversy was sparked by recent comments from Maharashtra State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare during a press briefing in Nashik. Waghmare disclosed that the local body election process, encompassing Municipal Corporations, Zilla Parishads, and Municipal Councils, is slated to start post-Diwali, by October 2025's end. He confirmed that VVPAT machines would be absent, rationalizing that their lack of availability mirrored practices in other state commissions where VVPATs aren't used for local elections. He noted, 'VVPAT machines haven't historically been part of civic and local body polls and won't feature this time either.' Currently, 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are managed by administrators, a status quo persisting for the past three years. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)