What prompted the state Election Commission to choose ballot papers for GBA polls

State Election Commission confirms ballot paper-based polls for the 2026 Greater Bengaluru Authority elections, reviving a system last used in the city’s civic polls in 2001.

In a major shift from the past two decades of electronic voting, the 2026 Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections will be conducted using ballot papers, marking the city’s return to a manual voting system after nearly 25 years. The decision has been confirmed by the State Election Commission.

Bengaluru last witnessed ballot paper-based civic elections in 2001, when elections to the Bengaluru City Corporation were held across 100 wards. Following this, the city transitioned to electronic voting. The 2010 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections, conducted after the city’s expansion, covered 198 wards and were held using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The 2015 BBMP elections also followed the EVM system.

However, the upcoming GBA elections in 2026 will move away from EVMs, opting instead for traditional ballot papers. This shift has brought renewed focus on the preparedness of the State Election Commission, as conducting ballot-based elections is widely considered more complex and resource-intensive.

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Officials acknowledge that ballot paper elections are not as simple as EVM-based polls. The move is expected to require expenditure running into several crores of rupees, solely for printing and managing ballot papers. In an era dominated by technology, the system will also require the procurement and handling of large volumes of physical ballot material, similar to practices followed decades ago.

To prevent irregularities, authorities will need to deploy additional election staff, enhance security arrangements, and install CCTV surveillance at multiple stages of the process. Counting votes through ballot papers is another major challenge, as it is time-consuming and prone to disputes. Even minor discrepancies during counting may lead to recounting, further delaying results.

Administrative hurdles remain as well. Staff recruitment for the five newly formed civic bodies under the GBA structure is still incomplete. Fully functional offices are yet to be established. Across the city, BBMP boards will have to be removed, and new GBA boards installed within ward limits before elections can be conducted.

The decision to revert to ballot papers has also triggered political discussions. Questions are being raised on whether the move is linked to efforts to address long-standing concerns raised by leaders who had earlier opposed EVM-based elections, and whether local civic polls are being used as a testing ground.

With multiple operational, financial, and administrative challenges ahead, the State Election Commission now faces the task of ensuring a smooth, transparent, and credible ballot paper election process for one of India’s largest urban civic bodies.