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Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly criticised what he termed as a “deliberate and misleading attempt” by opposition parties to use an old voter awareness survey to counter allegations of electoral irregularities raised by Rahul Gandhi.
In a detailed post on X, Siddaramaiah said it was “regrettable” that a past survey conducted under the Election Commission’s voter education programme was being selectively quoted to mislead the public, instead of addressing the substantive questions raised about electoral transparency.
The Chief Minister clarified that the survey in question was conducted in May 2025 as part of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme of the Election Commission of India, with the sole objective of improving voter awareness and participation. “It was never intended to assess public opinion on alleged vote theft or electoral manipulation,” he said, adding that portraying it otherwise amounted to political deception.
Siddaramaiah also pointed out a clear mismatch in timelines, noting that Rahul Gandhi had held a press conference with documentary evidence on alleged electoral irregularities only in August 2025, nearly three months after the survey was conducted. “Using earlier data to claim that later allegations lack public support is not just illogical, it is dishonest,” the Chief Minister argued.
Questioning the statistical validity of the survey, Siddaramaiah said the sample size of just 5,100 respondents was grossly inadequate to reflect the views of a state with over 5.3 crore adult voters, amounting to less than 0.01 per cent representation. He cited the example of Bengaluru Central, where allegations of voter list manipulation exist, but where the number of survey respondents reportedly did not even cross double digits. “Projecting such limited data as the voice of the people is untenable,” he said.
The Chief Minister further criticised sections of the media for failing to scrutinise the background of the organisation that conducted the survey. He noted that the NGO GRAAM, founded by Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, carried out the study, and alleged that the founder currently holds a position appointed by the Union government. Siddaramaiah claimed that Balasubramaniam’s publicly available writings, including a book published in 2024 praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raise questions about the neutrality of the exercise.
Siddaramaiah expressed concern that media reports citing the survey appeared aimed at suggesting that Rahul Gandhi’s allegations lacked substance. He emphasised that Rahul Gandhi had not questioned democracy or elections themselves, but had sought transparency on issues such as voter list preparation, CCTV footage from polling stations, the functioning of EVMs, and the process of appointing Election Commissioners—questions which, he said, remain unanswered.
Referring to specific cases, the Chief Minister said allegations of voter deletion are not mere rhetoric but formal charges. He cited the Aland constituency, where an SIT probe into attempts to delete nearly 5,994 voters led to the filing of a 22,000-page chargesheet, naming seven accused including a former BJP MLA. Despite Congress winning the seat, the state government proceeded with the investigation, Siddaramaiah noted, adding that the Election Commission appeared to have systematically attempted to downplay the issue.
In his concluding remarks, Siddaramaiah asserted that using what he called a “flawed and agenda-driven survey” to counter Rahul Gandhi’s later allegations would not succeed. He urged media organisations to critically examine the intent, methodology and timing of such surveys rather than amplifying selective narratives.
Also Read: Over 83% Karnataka Voters Back EVMs Despite Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism: KAP Survey
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