Banglore : A Congress-led Karnataka government-commissioned survey on the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 has shown a strong level of public trust in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party to hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. According to the survey titled Evaluation of Endline Survey of KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practice) of Citizens, 83.61% of respondents said they believed EVMs were trustworthy.
The survey covered 5,100 respondents across 102 Assembly constituencies in the administrative divisions of Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Mysuru. It was commissioned by the Government of Karnataka through Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar. Division-wise data showed the highest trust in Kalaburagi, where 83.24% agreed and 11.24% strongly agreed that EVMs are reliable. Mysuru followed with 70.67% agreeing and 17.92% strongly agreeing.
Reacting to the findings, the BJP Karnataka Leader of Opposition, R Ashok, posted on X, saying: “For years, Rahul Gandhi has travelled the country telling one story: that India’s democracy is ‘in danger’, that EVMs are ‘untrustworthy’, that our institutions cannot be believed. But Karnataka has just told a very different story.” The BJP said the statewide survey revealed that “people trust elections, people trust EVMs, and people trust India’s democratic process,” calling the findings “a slap on the face of the Congress.”
The post also criticised the Congress-led state government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for announcing local body elections through ballot papers. “Despite this clear public trust, CM Siddaramaiah-led Congress government chooses to take Karnataka backwards, announcing local body elections through ballot papers, reviving a system known for manipulation, delays, and misuse,” it said.
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