Sat Mar 01 19:40:25 UTC 2025: ## Congress Leader Challenges Haryana Municipal Polls’ Use of EVMs Without VVPAT

**Chandigarh, March 2, 2025** – A controversy has erupted in Haryana ahead of the state’s municipal elections over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) without Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) functionality. Karan Dalal, a former Congress legislator and the party’s Gurugram poll in-charge, wrote to the Haryana Governor on Saturday, urging him to intervene and mandate the use of paper ballots instead.

Dalal’s letter cites recent Supreme Court judgments requiring the Election Commission of India (ECI) to preserve VVPATs for verification in case of electoral disputes. He argues that the State Election Commission’s (SEC) decision to utilize EVMs lacking VVPAT, citing a shortage of compatible machines, undermines electoral transparency. Dalal pointed to Uttarakhand’s use of paper ballots in similar situations as a precedent.

The SEC’s explanation, given by State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh, is that the available M2-type EVMs are not compatible with VVPAT, which only works with the M3-type EVMs used in general and assembly elections. The SEC reportedly lacks the authority to procure its own EVMs.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini’s press secretary, Praveen Attrey, criticized the Congress for raising concerns only on the eve of the election, suggesting they should have pursued legal action earlier. The situation remains tense as the municipal elections proceed.

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