India, Sept. 6 -- A day after the Karnataka Cabinet resolved to bring back paper ballots for upcoming local body elections, the state's Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress government of attempting to legitimise electoral malpractice and undermine democratic processes.

Law Minister H.K. Patil announced on Thursday that the Cabinet had cleared amendments to replace electronic voting machines with ballot papers. He said the move was prompted by mounting complaints about irregularities in the voter list and declining public trust in EVMs. "Recently, people in Karnataka have observed many discrepancies in the preparation of the voters' list, and a large number of complaints have been received," Patil said. He added that "trust in EVMs...