Telangana assembly elections: Pink slips on EVMs make Congress see red

The Congress party has urged the Election Commission (EC) to withdraw its decision of introducing the pink slips on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the Telangana assembly elections, pink being the colour of party’s political rival K Chandrashekhar Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

These slips are pasted on EVMs and bear the names of candidates along with their election symbols printed on them to help the voters identify the candidates they wish to vote for.

Red-flagging the move, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) General Secretary and Chief Spokesperson Sravan Dasoju wrote to the EC, and said that the Election Commission’s decision of introducing pink colour ballot papers was completely against the spirit of conducting fair and free elections in Telangana.

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He further sought to remind the EC that pink colour is associated with the TRS party and in fact, their party’s flag is also of the same colour. Hence, Dasoju pointed out, there was every possibility of camouflage and voters would get influenced to vote in favour of TRS party candidates, which is nothing but violating democracy, according to The Indian Express.

He also pointed out that the EC first came up with a proposal to set up pink polling booths exclusively for women. After Congress party objected to it, the EC withdrew its previous decision on pink polling booths.

Other parties contesting Telangana assembly elections are yet to register their dissent.

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Telangana will go to polls on December 7 on a total 119 seats and the counting of votes will take place on December 11 along with five other states. TRS is in power in Telangana when elections were held in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar has clarified that the ballot paper would remain pink as per the provisions of Representation of the People Act (RPA). Kumar also sought a clarification from the EC after the Congress’ complaint against pink slips, said that as only Assembly polls were being conducted in the state, the voter slip would be white and ballot paper on the EVM will be pink as per the Act.