Kolewadi Village Votes for Ballot over EVM

Kolewadi village in Maharashtra's Satara district has resolved to conduct future elections using ballot papers, citing doubts over EVMs. The resolution reflects citizens' concerns after unexpected electoral outcomes for Congress candidate Prithviraj Chavan. The village promises to boycott polls unless traditional voting methods are reinstated.

Kolewadi, a village in Maharashtra's Satara district, has taken a stand against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by resolving to use ballot papers for future elections. This makes it the second village in the state to pass such a resolution, showcasing growing concerns over EVM reliability.

The village falls under the Karad (South) assembly constituency, previously represented by Congress leader and ex-chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who faced a surprising defeat to BJP's Atul Bhosale by a margin of over 39,000 votes. The resolution came in response to doubts raised by villagers about the credibility of EVMs after this unexpected outcome.

Villagers have expressed a firm resolve to boycott the polls if the election process does not revert to ballot papers. Their stance follows a thwarted attempt at mock re-polling by another village using ballots, further fueling the debate on voting transparency. The district collector awaits official communication from the gram panchayat before taking further action.

(With inputs from agencies.)