Karnataka: Congress on defensive after voters give thumbs up to EVMs

Bengaluru: The ruling Congress in Karnataka was caught on the defensive on Friday after an official survey into the conduct of the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 revealed a majority of voters expressing their faith in electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The voter endorsement was highest in AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s Kalaburagi region. The revelation assumes significance as it was from Bengaluru that AICC leader Rahul Gandhi kicked off the party’s nationwide campaign against “vote theft” on August 5.

The BJP targeted Gandhi accusing him of running a “false narrative” against the use of EVMs.


“The findings are unequivocal: 84.55% of citizens believe elections in India are conducted freely and fairly. On EVMs, the verdict is even cleare: 83.61% of respondents said EVMs are trustworthy and provide accurate results. • Trust in EVMs has increased from 77.9% in 2023 to 83.61% now,” BJP national IT dept head Amit Malaviya said in a post on X.

“These facts deliver a serious blow to the Congress narrative, with Rahul Gandhi at the forefront of the “vote chori” campaign against the BJP. When citizens themselves express rising confidence in the electoral process and EVMs, the politics of manufactured distrust stands completely exposed,” he added.

According to the Evaluation of Endline Survey of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Citizens report put out by the Karnataka Government, majority of respondents across all divisions trust that EVMs provide accurate results, with 69.39% agreeing and 14.22% strongly agreeing. 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. The Belagavi division also showed strong confidence with 63.90% agreeing and 21.43% strongly agreeing. In contrast, the Bengaluru division reported the lowest strong agreement at 9.28%, though 63.67% still agreed. Neutral opinions were highest in the Bengaluru division at 15.67%, compared to much lower proportions in other divisions the report highlighted.

IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the credibility of the survey’s findings, saying it was commissioned by the Election Commission and handled by an agency led by someone associated with the PM Narendra Modi’s office. He sought to know why the BJP was mum on the chargesheet filed on the votes’ theft in Aland assembly constituency during the 2023 assembly polls. Congress MLC BK Hariprasad said one must verify the credibility of the nonprofit the person who led the survey was associated with.

Trust in EVM Accuracy

Do EVMs give accurate results?

Divisions	Strongly Agree (%)	Agree (%)
Belagavi	21.43	63.90
Bengaluru	9.28	63.67
Kalaburagi	11.24	83.24
Mysuru	17.92	70.67
Total	14.22	69.39

Source: Karnataka Monitoring & Evaluation Authority report