Congress slams Karnataka EVM survey, calls it ‘statistically weak and biased’

BENGALURU: Congress leaders on Friday raised questions over the credibility of a recent survey on voter trust in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Karnataka.

Minister Priyank Kharge took to X to allege that the survey, commissioned by the Election Commission through the State Chief Electoral Officer, was conducted by an individual associated with the Prime Minister’s Office.

Kharge highlighted that the survey covered only 50 respondents per Assembly constituency, making it statistically weak and prone to wide sampling errors and selection bias, thus rendering it unsuitable for drawing meaningful conclusions.

Survey commissioned by the Election Commission through State Chief Electoral Officer.

Survey conducted by a Modi’s man who works in the PMO and has authored a lavish tribute to the PM.

Survey conducted in May 2025.
Detailed #VoteChori exposé by the Congress came out in August… pic.twitter.com/Pzaxznfv31

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) January 2, 2026

“Survey commissioned by the Election Commission through State Chief Electoral Officer. Survey conducted by a Modi’s man who works in the PMO and has authored a lavish tribute to the PM. Survey conducted in May 2025. Detailed Vote Chori expose by the Congress came out in August 2025. Survey covered only 50 respondents per Assembly. Statistically weak, prone to wide sampling error and selection bias and not suitable for drawing conclusions,” he posted on X.

“The BJP is falsely peddling the survey as a ‘State Government survey.’ Interestingly, the party has remained silent on the Aland Vote Chori chargesheet, which has named a former BJP MLA as A1,” Priyank Kharge added.

Similarly, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate questioned the impartiality of the survey, which was reportedly conducted by the NGO Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), founded by Balasubramaniam, who is linked to the Prime Minister’s Office. Shrinate noted that Balasubramaniam had authored a laudatory book on the Prime Minister in 2024, raising concerns about the neutrality of the survey.

#WATCH | Lucknow, UP: On most voters in Karnataka trust EVMs as per new survey, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate says, “The headline claimed that people trust the EVMs and the Election Commission, but the news within the article was suppressed. The survey was conducted by the NGO… pic.twitter.com/1ZvqnTTbCz

— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2026

“The headline claimed that people trust the EVMs and the Election Commission, but the key details within the article were suppressed. The survey in question was carried out in May 2025, but Rahul Gandhi’s expose on alleged vote rigging came only in August 2025. Given the agency’s affiliations, how impartial could the survey truly be?” she said.

Earlier, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla in a post on X on Friday referred to a media article to claim that a statewide survey published by in Karnataka had shown most citizens trust India’s electoral process and electronic voting machines (EVMs).

#WATCH | Delhi: On Karnataka trust EVMs, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla says, “… Rahul Gandhi blames the EVMs and the Election Commission after losing the election… In Karnataka, a survey revealed that people consider EVMs safe and trust them… Each time Rahul Gandhi… pic.twitter.com/TXguMFZdBd

— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2026

The survey found that 84.55 pc of respondents believe elections in India are conducted freely and fairly, while 83.61% expressed trust in EVMs. Confidence in EVMs has risen from 77.9 pc in 2023 to 83.61 pc now, indicating growing public faith in the integrity of the voting system. (ANI)