A survey released by the Congress-led government in Karnataka has contradicted claims made by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs). The survey found that a large majority of people believe elections in India are conducted fairly and that public trust in EVMs has increased over time.

The survey was conducted across Karnataka and published by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority, which works under the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics. According to reports, the survey was commissioned by Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar.

The survey covered 5,100 respondents from 102 Assembly constituencies spread across four administrative divisions — Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Mysuru. The findings showed strong public confidence in the electoral process.

According to the survey report, 84.55% of respondents said that elections in India are conducted freely and fairly. In addition, 83.61% of citizens said they trust EVMs, showing a significant rise in confidence compared to earlier years. The report noted that trust in EVMs had increased from 77.9% in 2023.

The survey also highlighted regional variations in trust levels. It stated, “Trust was highest in Kalaburagi division, where 83.24% agreed, and 11.24% strongly agreed, followed by Mysuru division with 70.67% agreeing and 17.92% strongly agreeing.”

These findings go against the stand taken by Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly alleged manipulation and “vote theft” by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Gandhi has raised questions over the credibility of EVMs, particularly after electoral defeats.

Ironically, 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.

Reacting strongly to the survey, the BJP said the Congress government itself had exposed Rahul Gandhi’s claims. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla described the survey as a “tight slap” to what he called false narratives.

Poonawalla said, “This is the same Rahul Gandhi who has no problems with the Election Commission when Congress wins in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal, but when he loses elections, he blames the poll body. Dosh data me nahi beta me hai (The problem lies with the son, not the data), but he does not want to accept it because he is living in a delusion.”

He further added that several leaders from the INDIA bloc had distanced themselves from Gandhi’s claims. According to him, leaders like Omar Abdullah and Supriya Sule had already rejected the allegations, and now Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government had also “shown him the mirror”.

Last month, opposition MPs had demanded a return to paper ballots, arguing that it would help restore public confidence in the election process, as concerns had been raised over the reliability of EVMs. However, the BJP opposed the demand, stating that such a move would push the country back to the era of booth capturing.

The Karnataka survey has now added a new dimension to the ongoing debate around EVMs, especially as it comes from a Congress-ruled state and contradicts the party leadership’s public claims.