Bengaluru: Pointing to a survey conducted by a government body and its findings reflecting strong democratic engagement in the electoral process and EVMs in Karnataka, Amit Malviya, in-charge of the BJP’s National Information and Technology Department, said that the Congress’ own survey in the state completely “exposes” Rahul Gandhi’s entire “vote chori” narrative.
Taking to social media X on Friday, Malviya stated, “This study was commissioned by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka through the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority (KMEA), an independent body under the Planning Department of the Government of Karnataka. It was conducted through a competitive process by KMEA, not by the Election Commission of India.”
“The findings are unequivocal. A total of 84.55 per cent of citizens believe elections in India are conducted freely and fairly. On EVMs, the verdict is even clearer. 83.61 per cent of respondents said EVMs are trustworthy and provide accurate results. Trust in EVMs has increased from 77.9 per cent in 2023 to 83.61 per cent now.
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,” Malviya stated.
The BJP leader has shared the findings of the study on EVMs.
The study said, “A large majority of respondents across all divisions trust that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) provide accurate results, with 69.39 per cent agreeing and 14.22 per cent strongly agreeing overall.”
Trust was highest in the Kalaburagi division, where 83.24 per cent agreed, and 11.24 per cent strongly agreed, followed by the Mysuru division with 70.67 per cent agreeing and 17.92 per cent strongly agreeing.
Belagavi division also showed strong confidence, with 63.90 per cent agreeing and 21.43 per cent strongly agreeing.
In contrast, Bengaluru division reported the lowest strong agreement at 9.28 per cent, though 63.67 per cent still agreed.
Neutral opinions were highest in Bengaluru division at 15.67 per cent, compared to much lower proportions in the other divisions.
Malviya further stated the study on opinion on ‘Free and Fair Elections in India’ showed that the majority of respondents across all divisions believe that elections in India are conducted freely and fairly, with 91.31 per cent agreeing, which includes 6.76 per cent neutral.
“This belief was strongest in Kalaburagi division, where 84.67 per cent agreed and 10.19 per cent strongly agreed, followed by Belagavi division with 69.62 per cent agreeing and 19.24 per cent strongly agreeing. Mysuru division also showed high confidence, with 72.08 per cent agreeing and 15.08 per cent strongly agreeing,” he said, quoting the report.
The survey commissioned by Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar revealed that most voters believed elections in India are free and fair, and further stressed that trust in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) has increased.
The survey covered 5,100 respondents across 102 Assembly segments in the administrative divisions of Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Mysuru.
The survey, named “Lok Sabha Elections 2024- Evaluation of endline survey of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Citizens”, was monitored by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority, Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics, Government of Karnataka.
The Congress government has objected to a survey by the State Election Commission, published by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority under the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics, stating that it has not sanctioned the survey.
To the much chagrin of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and his son Minister Priyank Kharge, the findings of the survey stated, “While recognition of the importance of each vote (above 81.39 per cent), and trust in the electoral process and EVMs was high (above 83.61 per cent), concerns over inducements and the influence of money and muscle power remained, especially in regions like Kalaburagi.”
Notably, Kalaburagi is the native place of Mallikarjun Kharge.
(IANS)
