Parliament: Several MPs offered their suggestions on electoral reforms. During the debate, demands were made to abolish EVMs and revert to ballot papers, while Shiv Sena MP Shinde suggested lowering the minimum age for contesting elections to 18 years.

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During the ongoing debate on electoral reforms in Parliament, several demands for various reforms have emerged. Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde yesterday demanded a reduction in the minimum age for contesting elections. He called for lowering the minimum age for contesting Lok Sabha and state assembly elections from 25 to 18 years, and also advocated for allowing remote voting for migrant voters.

Participating in the discussion on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, MP Shinde also said that the Election Commission should introduce a common voter list for all elections and hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. He said, “If a person can vote at the age of 18, then they should also be considered eligible to contest elections.”

Currently, the minimum age to be a candidate in Lok Sabha or state assembly elections is 25 years.

Shrikant Shinde, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and a three-time Lok Sabha member from Kalyan, also targeted his political opponents in Maharashtra who had raised the issue of candidates winning unopposed in the recent local body elections.

Shinde said, “If (Shiv Sena-UBT) leaders don’t support their workers contesting panchayat elections, what do you expect? UBT leaders ensured the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections, but they didn’t support their own workers.” He targeted the state’s opposition alliance, saying this was the reason why the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP-SP suffered defeat in the 2024 elections.

EC seems like a part of the government, not an independent institution: Sule
Meanwhile, participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) leader Supriya Sule said that the Election Commission seems like a part of the government instead of an independent institution. Expressing her disappointment, she said, “This is not good for any democracy in the world. It is shameful.” The NCP leader also alleged widespread irregularities in the ongoing local body elections in Maharashtra, claiming that a large amount of cash was seized from the house of a BJP leader following information received from a leader of the Shiv Sena, a partner in the ruling coalition.

Supriya Sule said that in more than 20 local bodies, relatives of ministers and leaders of the ruling coalition have won unopposed.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, CPI(M) member Amra Ram, like Congress MP Manish Tewari, also demanded that elections be conducted using ballot papers, and said that the BJP had made a similar demand before winning the Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Abhay Kumar Sinha also demanded elections be held using ballot papers. Sinha also suggested that the BJP should conduct the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal next year using ballot papers.