The SC had refused to interfere and direct the ECI amidst the Lok Sabha polls to publish booth-wise absolute voter turnout numbers.
Representative image
The Election Commission of India (ECI) released constituency-wise data on the number of votes cast in the first five phases of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, 25 May. The ECI asserted that there is a pattern of creating false narratives and mischievous designs to vitiate the electoral process.
On 24 May, the Supreme Court refused to interfere and direct the ECI during the Lok Sabha polls to publish the booth-wise absolute numbers of voter turnout and upload the Form 17C records of votes polled on its website.
A day later, the Commission insisted that there had been no delay in the release of voter turnout data and said that it was always available 24/7 on the facilitative Voter Turnout App from 9.30 a.m. on the polling day of each phase.
ECI said in a statement that “the Commission remains fully committed to the highest level of transparency and involvement of stakeholders at every stage of the electoral cycle.”
It said that any alteration in the number of votes polled is impossible.
The poll panel came out with the absolute number of voters on its own a day after the Supreme Court refused to issue directions to it on an NGO’s plea for uploading polling booth-wise voter turnout data on its website.
The ECI said it has decided to expand the format of turnout data further to include the absolute number of voters in every parliamentary constituency.
The poll panel said the absolute numbers are discernible parliamentary constituency-wise by citizens by applying the turnout percentage to the total electors, both of which are already made available in the public domain.
Electors are those on the electoral roll who are eligible to vote. Voters are those who cast their vote in an election. While ECI has been issuing turnout percentages, there have been demands to make the actual number of voters in every phase public.
ECI said in a statement that the Commission and its officials across the states have been disseminating voter turnout data in the best possible manner, taking into account statutory considerations.”
It said, “The whole exercise of the release of turnout data from the commencement of polls on 19 April 2024 has been accurate, consistent and in accordance with election laws and without any discrepancy whatsoever.”
(Edited by Neena with PTI inputs)
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