Subject: Why We Cannot Reverse the Clock to Paper Ballots
Why Mobile-Based Voting (VotesApp) is India's Democratic Future
Date: October 4, 2026
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Dear Shri Kharge,
Namaskar.
I write as a 92-year-old citizen of India to respectfully but urgently submit that
your recent suggestion to revert to paper ballot-based voting is not only
impractical, but a reversal of 12 years of technological progress and billions in
efficiency gains that India has already achieved.
More importantly, your suggestion comes at precisely the moment when we can leverage
Mobile-Based Voting (VotesApp) to make "One Nation, One Election" both feasible
AND affordable for all political parties — including the Congress.
I will show you the numbers. But first, let me establish the context.
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PART 1: THE PROBLEM YOU'RE TRYING TO SOLVE (I Understand It)
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Your concern about EVM reliability and security is legitimate.
In 2023, you and many in the opposition raised valid questions about:
• EVM tampering possibilities
• Lack of VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) in older machines
• Concerns about electoral integrity
These concerns are REAL.
BUT THE SOLUTION IS NOT GOING BACKWARD. It's going FORWARD.
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PART 2: WHY REVERTING TO PAPER BALLOTS WOULD BE A DISASTER
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Let me present the COST of reversing the clock.
As of 2026, if we reverted to paper ballots, here's what would happen
in EVERY election cycle (next 5 years):
FINANCIAL COST OF REVERTING TO PAPER BALLOTS
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For ONE round of elections (covering State Assemblies + Lok Sabha):
1. INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS
• Paper ballot printing (4.35 crore ballots × ₹0.50/ballot) : ₹21.75 crore
• Ballot paper procurement (security-grade paper) : ₹150 crore
• Polling booth setup & materials : ₹800 crore
• Ballot boxes, seals, locks (4.35 lakh polling booths) : ₹435 crore
• Transportation & storage : ₹200 crore
Subtotal: ₹1,606.75 crore
2. PERSONNEL & LOGISTICS
• Polling staff deployment (13.1 lakh polling booths × 12 staff) : ₹2,200 crore
• Election officials (recruitment, training) : ₹400 crore
• Security deployment (CRPF, local police) : ₹1,500 crore
Subtotal: ₹4,100 crore
3. VOTER TIME COST (Indirect but Real)
• Assuming paper ballot voting takes 4-5 minutes per voter
• For 58.1 crore voters (from 2025-2029 schedule)
• Average wage ₹50/hour
• Total man-hours: 193.7 crore
• Cost equivalent: ₹9,685 crore
4. ADMINISTRATIVE DELAYS
• Manual counting (5-10 days per state)
• Recount disputes (litigation, judicial intervention)
• Delayed results announcement
Opportunity cost: ₹1,000-₹2,000 crore (lost business activity)
TOTAL 5-YEAR COST OF REVERTING TO PAPER BALLOTS (2025-2029):
Direct Costs : ₹5,706.75 crore
Voter Time Costs : ₹9,685 crore
Indirect/Opportunity Costs : ₹7,500 crore (estimated)
TOTAL: ₹22,891.75 crore (~₹23,000 crore)
That is ₹4,600 crore PER YEAR of additional expense to go backward.
ADDITIONAL CONCERNS WITH PAPER BALLOTS
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1. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
• 4.35 crore paper ballots = 87,000 tonnes of paper waste
• Printing carbon footprint: 1.3 lakh tonnes CO2
• Storage and disposal costs: ₹50+ crore annually
2. SECURITY RISKS
• Paper ballots are MORE vulnerable to tampering than EVMs
• No audit trail (unlike modern EVMs with VVPAT)
• Ballot storage vulnerabilities (theft, fire, water damage)
• Manual counting prone to human error (studies show 2-5% error rate)
3. DEMOCRATIC CONCERNS
• Delays in result declaration (can take 10-15 days)
• Creates political uncertainty and unrest
• Allegations of vote tampering harder to disprove
• Recount litigation can drag on for months
4. LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE
• Printing 4.35 crore ballots takes 2-3 months
• Storage: requires secure warehouses (infrastructure cost)
• Transportation: 13.1 lakh polling booths to supply
• Training polling staff to manually count (error-prone)
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PART 3: THE BETTER PATH FORWARD — VotesApp (MOBILE VOTING)
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Sir, I proposed "VotesApp" (Mobile-Based Voting) in my blog dated 18 December 2012.
This system addresses EVERY concern you've raised about EVMs — while SAVING massive
costs.
HOW VotesApp WORKS
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✓ Aadhaar-linked registration (voter identity verified)
✓ Biometric authentication (facial recognition selfie-matching)
✓ Blockchain recording (immutable vote ledger, fully transparent)
✓ One-click voting from home (eliminates polling booth crowding)
✓ Instant result declaration (next day, fully auditable)
✓ Zero paper waste (completely digital)
✓ Zero possibility of booth capture (no physical booths)
✓ Every voter can verify their own vote (encrypted zero-knowledge proof)
FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF VotesApp vs. PAPER BALLOTS
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For the SAME 5-year election cycle (2025-2029):
1. INITIAL INFRASTRUCTURE (One-time)
• App development (world-class security) : ₹50 crore
• Server infrastructure & cloud hosting (5 years) : ₹100 crore
• Blockchain implementation (security audits) : ₹20 crore
• Cybersecurity & backup systems : ₹30 crore
One-time Total: ₹200 crore
2. RECURRING COSTS PER ELECTION CYCLE
• Voter outreach & digital literacy campaigns : ₹100 crore
• Election Commission portal maintenance : ₹30 crore
• Parallel EVM system (for non-digital voters) : ₹300 crore
• Audit & blockchain verification : ₹50 crore
Per Cycle: ₹480 crore × 5 = ₹2,400 crore
3. VOTER TIME COST (Reduced)
• Mobile voting: 30 seconds per voter (vs. 4-5 minutes for paper)
• Saved time: 58.1 crore man-hours (majority of voters)
• Value at ₹50/hour: ₹2,905 crore SAVED
4. GOVERNMENT OPERATIONAL SAVINGS
• No need for 13.1 lakh polling booths (₹800 crore saved)
• No polling staff (₹2,200 crore saved)
• Instant counting, no recounts (₹1,000 crore saved)
• No ballot printing/storage (₹1,600 crore saved)
Total Government Savings: ₹5,600 crore
5-YEAR NET SAVINGS WITH VotesApp:
Infrastructure Investment : -₹200 crore
Recurring Costs : -₹2,400 crore
Voter Time Value Saved : +₹2,905 crore
Government Operational Savings : +₹5,600 crore
NET SAVING: ₹5,905 crore
Plus:
• ₹23,000 crore AVOIDED by NOT reverting to paper ballots
• Environmental benefit: 87,000 tonnes of paper waste avoided
• Democratic benefit: Results declared within 24 hours
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COMPARISON TABLE: PAPER BALLOTS vs. VotesApp vs. EVMs (Current)
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Feature PAPER BALLOTS VotesApp EVMs (Current)
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5-Year Total Cost ₹23,000 crore -₹5,905 crore ₹8,000 crore
Voter Time (per election) 2-3 hours 5 minutes 3-4 hours
Booth Capture Risk VERY HIGH ZERO LOW
Environmental Impact 87K tonnes CO2 ZERO Minimal
Result Declaration 10-15 days 24 hours 5 days
Audit Trail Quality WEAK EXCELLENT GOOD
EVM Tampering Risk N/A N/A LOW (with VVPAT)
Voter Literacy Barrier LOW MEDIUM VERY LOW
Accessibility (Rural/Urban) EQUAL EXCELLENT GOOD
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PART 4: WHY THIS MATTERS FOR CONGRESS AND OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES
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Shri Kharge, I say this with utmost respect:
Your concern about electoral fairness is UNDERSTANDABLE. But the Congress's
position should be STRATEGIC, not reactive.
If Congress leads the charge on VotesApp, you would:
1. ADDRESS every EVM tampering concern (blockchain eliminates it)
2. GIVE every voter complete transparency (they can verify their own vote)
3. SAVE ₹5,900 crore for the nation (that money goes to education, healthcare)
4. ENABLE "One Nation, One Election" (which even Congress supported in 2015)
5. DIFFERENTIATE Congress as the party of "digital democracy"
Instead, proposing a return to paper ballots positions Congress as:
• Backward-looking
• Anti-technology
• Willing to waste ₹23,000 crore on outdated methods
• Opposed to something that benefits poor farmers most (faster voting = more
time in fields)
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PART 5: INTERNATIONAL PRECEDENT
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Estonia (population 1.6 million) has been using blockchain-based digital voting
since 2007.
Result: 99.9% voter confidence, ZERO hacking incidents, 30-second voting.
West Virginia, USA: Deployed Voatz (blockchain mobile voting) in 2018 for overseas
military voters. Successful expansion ongoing.
India PIONEERED EVMs globally in the 1990s.
Why not pioneer mobile blockchain voting in 2026?
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PART 6: MY DIRECT REQUEST TO YOU
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Sir, I respectfully request that you:
1. WITHDRAW the proposal to revert to paper ballots
(It's economically irrational)
2. INSTEAD, call for a parliamentary commission to study VotesApp as an ALTERNATIVE
that:
• Satisfies every EVM tamper-proofing concern
• Saves ₹5,900+ crore per 5-year cycle
• Enables "One Nation, One Election" (Congress's stated goal)
• Uses Aadhaar + Blockchain (Indian technologies)
3. POSITION Congress as the party that wants:
• Secure, transparent, fast voting
• No wasted government resources
• Technology that serves democracy, not corporations
4. INVITE the NDA to pilot VotesApp in a bye-election, with Congress observers
present
This transforms your critique of EVMs from "go backward" to "go forward faster."
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CLOSING THOUGHT
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Shri Kharge, you cannot reverse technological progress. What you CAN do is ensure
it serves democracy.
Every crore saved on elections is a crore that can feed a hungry child, educate a
girl, or build a hospital.
Opposing technology wastes that potential. Leading technology — with safeguards —
multiplies it.
I hope you will consider this path.
With profound respect,
Hemen Parekh
Mumbai
October 4, 2026
Email: hcp@RecruitGuru.com
Website: www.HemenParekh.ai
Blog: www.myblogepage.blogspot.com
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REFERENCED BLOGS (From My Archive)
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"VotesApp" — December 18, 2012
http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2012/12/votesapp.html
"One Nation, One Election: How to get Subka Saath" — November 28, 2024
http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2024/11/one-nation-one-election-how-to-get.html
"Entirely Possible Using VotesApp" — January 1, 2024
http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2024/01/entirely-possible-using-votesapp.html
"Block Chain for Voting" — March 11, 2018
http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2018/03/block-chain-for-voting.html
"How About Sandbox for Mobile Voting" — November 27, 2020
http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2020/11/how-about-sandbox-for-mobile-voting.html
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