Karnataka Government Survey Counters Rahul Gandhi’s Claims on Election Integrity

A statewide survey commissioned by the Congress-led Karnataka government has contradicted claims made by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the credibility of India’s electoral process, indicating strong public confidence in both elections and electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The survey, conducted across 102 Assembly constituencies in the Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Mysuru administrative divisions, covered 5,100 respondents. It was commissioned by Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar and published by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority under the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics, according to a report by Deccan Herald.

The findings revealed that 84.55 per cent of respondents believe elections in India are conducted freely and fairly. Public trust in EVMs was also found to be high, with 83.61 per cent of respondents expressing confidence in the machines. This marks a significant increase from 77.9 per cent recorded in 2023, indicating a growing faith in electronic voting systems.

Trust in EVMs was highest in the Kalaburagi division, where 83.24 per cent of respondents agreed and 11.24 per cent strongly agreed that the machines were reliable. This was followed by the Mysuru division, where 70.67 per cent agreed and 17.92 per cent strongly agreed.

The survey’s conclusions stand in contrast to the Congress party’s national narrative, led by Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly alleged “vote theft” by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Notably, despite the survey findings, the Congress government in Karnataka has reportedly decided to reintroduce ballot papers for local body elections, citing a “lack of trust” in EVMs.

BJP Responds

Reacting to the survey, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Karnataka government’s own data had exposed what he described as the “falsehoods” propagated by Rahul Gandhi. He accused the Congress leader of selectively trusting the Election Commission only when electoral outcomes favour his party.

“This is the same Rahul Gandhi who raises no objections to the Election Commission when Congress wins in states like Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, but questions its credibility after electoral defeats,” Poonawalla said, adding that several INDIA bloc leaders, including Omar Abdullah and Supriya Sule, had distanced themselves from Gandhi’s allegations.

He further claimed that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government had effectively “held a mirror” to the Congress leader through the survey’s findings.

Last month, opposition MPs renewed demands for a return to paper ballots, arguing that it would restore voter confidence amid concerns over EVM reliability. The BJP, however, rejected the proposal, warning that such a move could revive malpractices such as booth capturing associated with earlier electoral systems.