BENGALURU: In a disappointment to Congress and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had launched a campaign against BJP and Election Commission of India, accusing them of indulging in ‘vote chori’, besides expressing suspicions over electronic voting machines (EVMs), a detailed survey commissioned by the Election Commission indicates that 83.61% of respondents expressed trust in the electoral process and EVMs. The study also reflected the growing influence of money and muscle power in Bengaluru and Mysuru divisions.
The study also mentioned its limitations, stating that respondents may have provided socially desirable or inaccurate responses on sensitive topics like inducements, trust in EVMs or political beliefs, affecting data reliability.
The overall duration of the study was short, limiting deeper engagement with communities and reducing the opportunity to capture temporal changes in behaviour or awareness, it said.
The sample size and the selected constituencies in the baseline and endline surveys were different, and the study did not follow the same cohort of respondents, which weakens longitudinal comparison and limits the ability to assess true behavioural change over time, it elaborated.
The study, ‘Lok Sabha Elections 2024 - Evaluation of Endline Survey of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Citizens’ for the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority (KMEA), under the Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics Department of the state, was commissioned to assess the outcomes of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme implemented by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka.
The study was conducted in mid-May 2025 and the Mysuru-based NGO Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) evaluated and published the 305-page report in August.
Study was carried out in 34 election districts
The study was carried out across 34 election districts of five revenue divisions -- Belagavi, Bengaluru, Kalaburagi and Mysuru -- covering 102 Assembly constituencies, including 5,100 household surveys, 23 in-depth interviews, 57 focus group discussions (FGD) and 16 case studies, Chief Electoral Officer Anbu Kumar said.
The sample represented diverse categories of voters, including first-timers, youth, women, marginalised communities and persons with disabilities (PwDs), along with officers at different levels engaged in the execution of the electoral process, it pointed out. It targeted 50 voters per constituency.
The study found that voter turnout increased from 68.81% in 2019 to 71.98% in 2024. There is a high level of EPIC possession (99.02%), strong voter turnout among respondents (95.75%) and widespread recognition of the importance of each vote (above 81%) alongside challenges, including urban voter apathy, limited awareness of digital platforms, and accessibility barriers faced by PwDs and marginalised groups.
Other limitations
The use of Election Commission’s voter list for sampling excluded unregistered but eligible voters, such as youth, migrants, and marginalised groups, affecting the inclusiveness of the study. A fixed sample size of 50 respondents per constituency does not reflect population size variations and may reduce the representativeness of data in large or demographically diverse areas, it stated.
In Kalaburagi, majority trust EVMs, in Bengaluru 9.28% agree strongly In the home turf of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and his son RDPR and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge, who is Chittapur MLA, 94.48% of respondents trusted EVMs.
In contrast, the Bengaluru division reported the lowest strong agreement at 9.28%, though 63.67% still agreed. Neutral opinions were highest in the Bengaluru division at 15.67%.
Across all divisions, the majority trust that EVMs provide accurate results, with 69.39% agreeing and 14.22% strongly agreeing overall. In Kalaburagi division, 83.24% agreed and 11.24% strongly agreed, followed by Mysuru division with 70.67% and 17.92% and Belagavi 63.90% and 21.43%.
In all, 91.31% of respondents agree that elections are being conducted freely and fairly, which includes 6.76% neutral. The belief was strongest in Kalaburagi division, where 84.67% agreed and 10.19% strongly agreed, followed by Belagavi division with 69.62% and 19.24% and Mysuru 72.08% and 15.08%.
Bengaluru division reported the lowest strong agreement at 7.17%, while a substantial 67.11% still agreed. Neutral opinions were more common in the Bengaluru division at 12.50%, compared to lower proportions in other divisions. Disagreement was the highest in Bengaluru division as well, with 9.67% disagreeing and 3.56% strongly disagreeing, while it remained very low in Kalaburagi division.
Survey findings
Respondents: 5,100, 30% SC/ST, 20% OBC and minority, and 50% general, 20% first-time voters, 45% below 35 years, and 35% above 35 years, 50% men and 50% women.
Growing influence of money: 44.90% agree and 4.65% strongly agree
Mysuru: 59.25% and 3.00%
Bengaluru: 51.33% agreeing and 5.11%
Kalaburagi: 37.52% and 6.48%
Belagavi: 24.86% and 3.90%, while 41.14% disagreed. Neutral opinions were relatively high in Belagavi (25.24%).
Disagreement was also prominent in Belagavi (41.14%) and Kalaburagi divisions at 34.67%, whereas it was lower in Bengaluru and Mysuru divisions.
Influence of muscle power
Overall, 40.84%, 3.08% strongly agree and 37.76% agree. 45.12% (36.98% disagree and 8.14% strongly disagree) disagree.
Mysuru: 57.17% agree,Bengaluru: 46.89% agree
Belagavi: 15.61% agree and 68.57% disagree.
Kalaburagi: 37.05% and
56.28%. Neutral views in Bengaluru (21.39%) and Kalaburagi (6.67%).