Bengaluru
A recent Karnataka survey has found that most citizens believe elections in India are conducted freely and fairly, with trust in electronic voting machines (EVMs) on the rise. The Statewide survey, covering 5,100 respondents across 102 Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and Mysuru divisions, was commissioned by Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar.
The endline survey, conducted after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, found that 84.55% of respondents agreed that elections are free and fair, with the highest trust in Kalaburagi (84.67% agree, 10.19% strongly agree). Belagavi followed with 69.62% agreement and 19.24% strong agreement.
Regarding EVMs, 83.61% of respondents considered them trustworthy. Trust was highest in Kalaburagi (83.24% agree, 11.24% strongly agree), followed by Mysuru (70.67% agree, 17.92% strongly agree). This marks an increase from 77.9% in 2023.
The survey also revealed that 16.3% of respondents faced inducements, mainly government scheme benefits (42.26%) and job promises (34.09%), with Kalaburagi and Bengaluru showing higher incidences. Women’s voting autonomy showed mixed results: 34.57% agreed they needed to consult male family members before voting, while 51.64% disagreed.
Of the respondents, 95.75% said they voted in the 2024 elections, and 95.44% confirmed their names were correctly listed on the voter rolls.
The survey, conducted by Mysuru-based GRAAM (Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement), provides insight into citizens’ confidence in Karnataka’s electoral process, despite political debates over EVM reliability and the Congress-led government’s plan to reintroduce ballot papers for local body polls.