The Karnataka government has approved a major change in the way it conducts local elections, deciding that paper ballots will be used instead of electronic voting machines in the upcoming civic and panchayat elections, according to the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
Karnataka Cabinet approves ballot for panchayat, civic electionsThe decision, cleared in a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, applies to elections to the Greater Bengaluru Authority and rural local bodies including zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats. Ministers described the move as an effort to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said the change was due to persistent public concerns about voting technology. “There has been a series of demands and a visible erosion of credibility and trust in EVMs. To ensure that the democratic process remains transparent and trusted by every citizen, the Cabinet has recommended a return to ballot papers,” Patil said.
To implement the change, the government will amend the Karnataka Election Rules. Officials said the amendments will be rolled out within 15 days. After the amendments are formalized, the State Election Commission will have to conduct elections to certain local bodies using ballot papers under the revised framework.
The decision covers both urban and rural levels of governance, including the civic administration in Bangalore, and marks a structural change in the voting system at these levels. State officials have shifted as procedural, tied to electoral administration rather than broader electoral reforms.
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In a separate move at the same cabinet meeting, the state approved a plan to use artificial intelligence systems to track and curb the spread of misinformation on social media platforms. Ministers discussed what they described as the growing prevalence of fabricated and misleading content online and its impact on public discourse.
According to officials, the initiative is intended to identify patterns associated with false or misleading information through digital monitoring tools. The artificial intelligence system will analyze social media activity to identify suspicious content at an early stage.
Under the proposed process, authorities would receive real-time alerts when content believed to be false begins to circulate widely. The alerts are expected to enable rapid response and actions aimed at limiting further spread.
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Officials said the monitoring effort is part of a broader strategy to curb harmful digital content and combat social polarization linked to misinformation. .
