Bengaluru: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi often raises the issue of ‘vote theft’ and EVM malfunction in elections, but this time he has been shocked not by any opponent but by Karnataka, a state ruled by his own party. A recent study by the Karnataka government has revealed something very shocking. According to the report, 91% people of the state believe that the elections in the country are completely free and fair.
What is there in the report and why is there an uproar?
This survey has been conducted by Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority (KMEA). The thing to note is that at present there is a Congress government led by Siddaramaiah in Karnataka. The report claims that the citizens of the state have full faith in the Election Commission and Voting Machine (EVM). This disclosure has come at a time when Rahul Gandhi is continuously accusing BJP of election rigging. Seizing this report, BJP has hit back at Rahul Gandhi. Opposition leader R. Ashok has called it a ‘hard slap’ on Congress’s claims.
Scope of survey: Investigation of 102 assembly constituencies
According to sources, this report was prepared in August 2025 itself, which has now been made public. The objective of this study was to know the impact of the Election Commission’s awareness program ‘SVEEP’. 102 assembly constituencies in 34 districts of Karnataka were selected for the survey, which included rural, urban and reserved seats. A total of 5,100 voters were asked to give their opinion, which has made the mood of the state clear.
Maximum trust in Kalaburagi, where Rahul raised questions
The most interesting figures come from Kalaburagi division. Recall that Rahul Gandhi had alleged vote cutting and ‘vote theft’ in Kalaburagi’s Aland seat itself. But the survey says that 84.67% people of this Kalaburagi have unwavering faith in the election process. In Bengaluru, Belagavi and Mysuru divisions also, people have voted overwhelmingly in favor of EVMs and fair elections. Although some people (about 12.50%) remained neutral in Bengaluru, a large section there too seemed satisfied with the process of democracy.
Public mood regarding EVM
The opposition may keep raising questions about EVMs, but the common voter of Karnataka has a different opinion. 69.39% of the people surveyed believed that EVMs give accurate results, while 14.22% expressed their full agreement on it. In Kalaburagi, more than 83% people have expressed confidence in EVMs. The number of people expressing disagreement was very low, which seems to weaken Rahul Gandhi’s ‘EVM hacking’ narrative.
Money and inducements in elections: A bitter truth
While on one hand people’s trust in EVMs has increased, on the other hand there is concern about the use of money power in elections. 44.90% of the people surveyed believed that the game of money in elections is increasing. About 16% of the voters admitted that attempts were made to lure them in exchange for votes. The surprising thing is that the biggest lure was not cash, but benefits of government schemes (42.26%) and promises of providing jobs (34.09%).
Background of Rahul Gandhi’s allegations
It is noteworthy that on September 18, Rahul Gandhi had made serious allegations against the Election Commission and the Chief Election Commissioner through a long presentation. He had said that those who were destroying democracy and ‘vote thieves’ were being saved. Now this report of his own government agency is putting a question mark on his claims.
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