ECI Under Scrutiny Over Voter Turnout Data Discrepancies
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has come under fire for delays in releasing voter turnout data and significant discrepancies between initial and final figures in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
ADR Petition Highlights Concerns
The NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a directive to the ECI to upload scanned legible copies of Part I of Form 17C for all polling stations within 48 hours of the close of polling. Form 17C is a crucial document that contains detailed information on voter turnout, including the number of electors assigned to the polling station, the number of voters who turned up, and the number of votes recorded per EVM.
ECI Defends Stance
The ECI has maintained that it has no legal obligation to furnish information about the absolute number of votes polled in every polling station to the general public. However, ADR argues that such information is ‘readily available’ with the poll body and should be made public to ensure transparency.
Discrepancies Raise Questions
The delay in releasing final voter turnout data, coupled with the unusually high revision of over 5% in the EC press note of April 30, has raised concerns and public suspicion regarding the correctness of the data. Opposition leaders and experts have questioned why the ECI has not been able to provide clear and consistent information on voter turnout.
Need for Transparency
Experts and activists have emphasized the importance of transparency in the electoral process. They argue that the ECI should upload a scanned copy of Form 17C as soon as it is submitted by the Presiding Officer to abate transparency concerns. They also point out that many times polling agents are not available at polling booths to obtain the Form 17C data, which necessitates the publication of such crucial information online.
ECI Denies Allegations
The ECI has denied the allegations of a lack of transparency and has asserted that the voters continue to vote even after 6:00 pm due to long queues at polling stations, resulting in variations in the estimated data on poll day. However, concerns remain over the unexplained increase in voter turnout in the final figures and the absence of detailed constituency and polling station-wise figures in absolute numbers.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the ADR petition on May 24. The outcome of this case is expected to have significant implications for the transparency and credibility of the electoral process in India.
