The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday released the absolute number of voters for the first five phases. The Election Commission said it has decided to expand the format for releasing voter turnout data.
The poll committee Supreme Court ruling It refused to consider a petition directing the Election Commission to publish on its website the final data on voter turnout at all polling stations.
The new format includes an absolute number of voters in each constituency. The Election Commission has assured the public that the vote counts cannot be changed.
This came after the Opposition parties questioned the delay in announcing the final voter turnout figures after the first and second phases of voting. Suspicion of contradiction According to polling data released by polling agencies, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge: The “Credibility” of the Election Commission It was the “worst ever.”
In response, the commission reiterated that the entire process of vote collection and storage was rigorous, transparent and participatory. It added that there was a “pattern of misrepresentations and malicious plots to undermine the electoral process.”
“The commission and state officials have published voter turnout data in the best possible manner, taking into account statutory requirements,” the commission said in a statement.
The committee detailed the thorough process involved in recording and publishing voter turnout data.
- Final Electoral Roll: It will be provided to the candidates once it is finalized.
- Form 17C: Authorized agents will receive this form from each polling station to ensure transparency.
- Inviolable Record: The vote recorded in Form 17C cannot be changed.
- Safe Transportation: An agent will accompany you for safe keeping of your statutory documents including EVM and Form 17C.
- Verification: The candidate or his/her representative will verify the data in Form 17C at the counting centre.
The ECI stressed that voter turnout data is continuously available through the Voter Turnout App.
“Voter voting data was available 24 hours a day on the Voter Voting App from 9.30 am on the polling day of each election phase,” the polling commission said.
The app says it will publish voter turnout estimates every two hours on election day and will continue to update them after polls close, providing the most accurate “end of polls” data by midnight.
The Election Commission said different media outlets were reporting voter turnout data at different times, which could give the impression that it was delayed.
“After arrival at the polling station, depending on geographical and weather conditions, voter data will be finalised on P+1, P+2, P+3 or more days depending on the date of arrival at the polling station and number of re-voting rounds, if any,” the commission said.
Meanwhile, the ECI said it has introduced several enhancements recently, including upgrading the voter polling app to include phase-wise voter totals, enabling screenshot functionality in the Android version of the app, making constituency-wise voter data public and releasing voter polling data at around 11.45 pm on polling day.
The ECI reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the highest level of transparency at every stage of the electoral cycle.
