The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released absolute numbers of votes cast in the five phases of Lok Sabha elections so far.
Rejecting questions from the Opposition over voter turnout data, the ECI said that the voter turnout including absolute numbers was always available to both the public as well as the candidates.
In a press release, the ECI on Saturday said that the absolute number of the voter could always be calculated from the voter turnout percentage issued by the ECI after factoring in the total number of voters in a constituency which is also released by the ECI. Moreover, the ECI added that all candidates are given Form 17-C which has the absolute numbers.
“Authorised agents of all candidates will be having Form 17-C across 543 PCs, distinctively for each of approximately 10.5 lakh polling stations. The total number of votes polled in a constituency, as recorded in Form 17-C, can never be changed even by anyone’s hypothetical mischief as it is available with all contesting candidates,” said the ECI in the press release.
ECI dispels questions around voter turnout data
Rejecting the questions raised at the voter turnout data, the ECI said the data is updated at every two hours on the voter turnout app from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
After polling parties start arriving after conclusion of voting at booths, the hourly updates are paused and then the day’s approximate voter turnout is published at around midnight, said the ECI.
As for the reports of any disparity, the ECI said that that it may because different media organisations pick up data for their news stories at different points in time as per their convenience.
The ECI said, “By midnight on the poll day, the voter turnout app will show best estimated ‘Close of Poll (COP)’ data in percentage form. Different media organisations pick up data at different points in time as per their convenience to report next morning.”
As for the final figures, the ECI said that it may take two to three days because of geographic or weather factors. Notably, elections are held in several far-flung areas across difficult terrains in India.
“After the arrival of the poll parties, depending on geographical and weather conditions, the data of voters attains finality on P+1 or P+2 or P+3 or more days, depending upon arrival of parties and number of repolls, if any,” said the ECI.
Dispelling concerns about the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs) or votes, the ECI further said that agents of a candidate are always allowed to accompany the EVMs and statutory papers till storage in a strong room.
The ECI added that, on the day of the counting, the candidate or their agent, may bring the copy of the Form 17-C to the counting centre and compare the figures with results of each round of counting.
What questions were raised on voter turnout data?
The ECI’s press release comes after the Opposition and sections of the civil society questioned the voter turnout data. While Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) filed a petition in the Supreme Court to seek directions for the ECI to upload polling booth-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of the completion of voting in a constituency, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue at the political level.
In a letter to the fellow leaders of the INDIA bloc, Kharge said that polling data released by the ECI raised “serious doubts”. Apart from the delay, the voter turnout data released by the ECI “does not mention crucial yet related figures, such as the votes polled in each Parliamentary Constituency and in the respective Assembly Constituencies”, said Kharge, as per The Hindu.
Kharge further said, “On earlier occasions, the Commission has published voter turnout data within 24 hours of polling. What has changed this time? Why has the Commission failed to issue any clarification to justify the delay, despite being repeatedly questioned by political parties as well as political activists?”
The Supreme Court refused to consider the ADR’s plea and said the matter should be heard after the Lok Sabha elections are concluded.
During the hearing, the ECI had said that the petition was filed with the intention to create suspicion regarding elections, as per India Today.
“The petition is only founded on suspicion and apprehension. Conducting elections is a herculean task being performed should not let such vested interests interfere,” said the ECI, as per the report.
In response to Kharge’s charge, the ECI said that it was not legally obligated to release absolute numbers of votes cast. It added that the only obligation is to issue Form 17-C which the ECI is issuing to all the candidates as “as the strongest measure of transparency”, as per The Hindu.
The ECI further said that Kharge’s allegation were an attempt to “create confusion, misdirection and impediments in the conduct of free and fair polls”, according to the newspaper.
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