NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing critique of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, citing a recent Karnataka government survey to refute his claims of "vote chori" (vote theft). The BJP is ridiculing Gandhi's allegations, presenting the survey's findings as a "reality check".
The survey, commissioned by the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka and conducted by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority, reveals that a significant majority of citizens in the state believe in the integrity of the electoral process. According to the report, 84.55% of respondents expressed confidence that Indian elections are conducted freely and fairly. Furthermore, the survey indicated a rise in public trust in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), with 83.61% of respondents finding them trustworthy, a notable increase from 77% in 2023. The survey included 5,100 respondents across Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and Mysuru.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla described the survey results as a "tight slap" to Rahul Gandhi by his own party's government in Karnataka. Poonawalla highlighted the contradiction between Gandhi's accusations of electoral malfeasance and the positive assessment of the electoral process by the Congress-led Karnataka government. He pointed out Gandhi's pattern of questioning the Election Commission's integrity only when Congress loses elections, while accepting their verdicts when the party wins. Poonawalla stated that Gandhi is living in a delusion and doesn't want to accept it.
Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly alleged "vote chori" by the BJP government led by PM Modi. In September 2025, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of being an "election watchman" who "stayed awake, watched the theft, and protected the thieves". He cited alleged attempts to delete 6,018 votes in Karnataka's Aland constituency before the 2023 assembly polls. The Election Commission has refuted these allegations as "incorrect and baseless," clarifying that no vote deletion can occur online or without affording the affected person a hearing. The EC also pointed out that Congress won the Aland seat in the 2023 election.
The BJP has been critical of the Congress party's approach to surveys and data, particularly in Karnataka. In June 2025, the BJP criticized the Congress' decision to scrap a socio-economic and educational survey, alleging it was a ploy to divert attention from a stampede tragedy. The BJP has also accused the Congress of wasting taxpayer money on politically motivated census exercises.
The Karnataka government survey emerges amidst ongoing debates about the fairness and transparency of elections in India. Rahul Gandhi's persistent "vote chori" allegations have faced scrutiny and strong rebuttals from both the Election Commission and the BJP. The BJP is now using the Karnataka government's own findings to undermine Gandhi's narrative and reinforce its claims about the integrity of the Indian electoral system.
