BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR), once the digital face of Telangana’s governance, is now advocating for a return to the paper ballot system.
During his visit to New Delhi on Tuesday, KTR met with the Election Commission of India (ECI) and later addressed the media with a surprising appeal.
“There seems to be an issue with how EVMs are impacting election outcomes across India,” KTR said. “This undermines the democratic process. We have officially requested the ECI to replace EVMs with paper ballots starting from the Bihar elections in November 2025.”
He emphasized that the confusion surrounding symbols similar to BRS’s car symbol led to unintended voting patterns. “In Bhuvanagiri, a party with the road roller symbol got 27,000 votes without campaigning—clearly due to symbol confusion. In 14 other places, we lost by margins as low as 6,000 votes.”
KTR also urged the ECI to consider using paper ballots for the upcoming general elections.
The political community is abuzz with reactions, pointing out the irony: the former IT Minister of Telangana, who championed digital governance, now calls for analog voting methods—following a single electoral defeat.
Critics argue the shift could be politically motivated, while supporters believe the concerns merit attention.
