The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced changes to the design and printing of EVM Ballot Papers, citing the need for better clarity and readability. The decision comes at a time when opposition parties, led by the Congress, have escalated their criticism of the poll body, accusing it of colluding with the ruling BJP.
Ballot Papers to Feature Colour Photos, Larger Fonts
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ECI said candidate photographs will now appear in colour on the EVM Ballot Papers, with the face occupying three-fourths of the image space for clearer visibility. Serial numbers of candidates and NOTA will be printed in the international form of Indian numerals, in bold with a font size of 30.
The upgraded papers will make their debut in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. For uniformity, all names—candidates as well as NOTA—will be printed in the same font type and size, the Commission clarified. The ballot papers will be printed on 70 GSM paper, with pink-coloured sheets of specific RGB values designated for Assembly polls.
The Commission emphasised that this step is part of 28 measures it has rolled out in the last six months to make the voting process more accessible and voter-friendly.
BJP, Congress Trade Sharp Words Over ‘Vote Chori’ Charge
This comes as the opposition INDIA bloc intensified its attack on the Election Commission and the BJP, alleging large-scale “vote theft” engineered for political gain.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has lashed out at the Commission, asking if it had become the “BJP’s back-office for vote theft”.
On August 7, Rahul Gandhi also levelled grave allegations against the poll body, accusing it of being directly involved in widespread voter fraud. Gandhi claimed the party had “open-and-shut proof” of the malpractice and cited research by Congress on voting patterns in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, alleging “vote theft” of 1,00,250 ballots.
He argued that “collusion” between the ECI and the BJP was what enabled Prime Minister Modi to secure a third term. He also accused the Commission of presiding over elections that were “choreographed”.
Earlier this month, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia dismissed the Congress’ allegations, comparing the party to a “student who does not study, fails exams, and then blames EVMs instead of accepting defeat.”
Bhatia said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fulfilling the dreams of the Constitution through landmark moves like the abrogation of Article 370. “The BJP, like a good student, performs well in the exam, and later we thank the people, whereas the Congress is like a student that doesn’t study, and after they fail, they blame the EVMs… It shows that the petty politics of the corrupt Congress party and its ideologies have been rejected all over the country,” he remarked.
‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar
In a bid to spotlight the issue, Gandhi launched a 16-day ‘Voter Adhikaar Yatra’ across Bihar alongside RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The campaign, aimed at flagging alleged voter list discrepancies, spanned 1,300 km across 20 districts and concluded on September 1.
During the yatra, Gandhi alleged in Madhubani that the BJP’s “vote theft originated from Gujarat, came to the national level in 2014.”
Currently in Raebareli, Gandhi also interacted with workers from the Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station under the NTPC and met local residents from Raebareli and Unchahaar.
