'Keeps lying': BJP cites Karnataka government survey to 'fact-check' Rahul Gandhi over 'vote chori'
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, keeps 'lying' about EVMs and the Election Commission, but he was 'fact-checked' by his own government in Karnataka.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday cited a survey conducted by Congress-led Karnataka government to attack Rahul Gandhi over his 'vote chori' allegations. The Karnataka government on Thursday released the findings of a survey on Lok Sabha elections 2024 which showed that majority of voters trust the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and believe that polls are 'free and fair'.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, keeps 'lying' about EVMs and the Election Commission of India (ECI), but he was 'fact-checked' by his own government in Karnataka. Poonawalla said the survey claimed that voters in Karnataka trust the EVMs and believe elections in India are free and fair.
"'majority of respondents across all divisions believe that elections in India are conducted freely and fairly,' the survey found, with 84.55% citizens expressing agreement," Poonawalla said. "The survey found 83.61% citizens who believed EVMs were trustworthy. In fact, the survey stated that more citizens trusted the EVMs, from 77.9% in 2023 to 83.61% now."
BJP leader R Ashoka, who is the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, also cited the survey to slam Rahul Gandhi and said it is a slap on the face of the Congress. He said the grand old party is only displaying insecurity by doubting the EVMs and the apex poll body.
"This drama is not born out of concern for democracy. It is driven by fear of the verdict. Congress questions institutions only when it loses. It celebrates the same system when it wins. This is not principled politics. This is convenient politics," he Xed.
What did the survey show?
The survey titled "Lok Sabha Elections 2024 – Evaluation of Endline Survey of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Citizens" was published by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority (KMEA) and it took response of 5,100 respondents from 102 Assembly constituencies. Of these, 91.31 per cent believed that elections are free in India. It also said that 83.61 respondents have faith in the EVMs.
"Among 4,272 respondents who were included in the voter's list, a majority (95.44%) of respondents across all divisions confirmed that their names were correctly listed," the survey stated.
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