EC releases absolute number of voters for five phases, says nobody can change data

The Election Commission on Saturday (May 25) came out with constituency-wise data on the number of votes cast in the first five phases of the Lok Sabha elections and said “there was a pattern in creating false narratives to vitiate the electoral process”.

The poll panel said that any changes in the number of votes polled was just not possible. “Nobody can change data of votes polled, shared on poll day with polling agents of all candidates through Form 17C,” it said.

The Election Commission said there has been no delay in the release of voter turnout data. “Parliamentary constituency-wise voter turnout data was always available with candidates and also 24X7 on Voter Turnout App for citizens at large,” the poll panel said.

EC statement

The statement detailed 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 poll panel said it feels duly strengthened by the Supreme Court’s observations and verdict on the process of release of turnout data by the ECI, as per ANI report. “This brings upon the Commission, a higher responsibility to serve the cause of electoral democracy with undeterred resolution,” it said.

The Election Commission said it had decided to expand the format of turnout data to include the absolute number of voters in every Lok Sabha constituency.

Absolute numbers

The ECI on its own released parliamentary constituency-wise absolute numbers of voters for all completed phases, which otherwise was discernible by all stakeholders themselves by applying the turnout percentage to total electors, both already made available in the public domain, the poll panel said.

Electors are those who are part of the electoral roll and eligible to vote. Voters are those who actually cast their vote in an election.

While the Election Commission had been issuing turnout percentage, there had been demands to make the actual number of voters in every phase public.

“The commission has issued 13 press notes on voter turnout for 5 phases. Any alleged delay in the issue of press notes of the first phase does not mean that data was not available in the public domain all the time through the Voter Turnout App,” said the ECI.

SC verdict

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to pass any direction on a plea seeking the uploading of Form 17C data on the Election Commission of India website and publication of booth-wise voter turnout data.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Dutta and Satish Chandra Sharma refused to grant any interim relief to petitioners and said it could not interrupt the polls. The bench said that of the seven- phase elections, five phases are over, and the sixth phase is scheduled for Saturday. The “hands-off” approach is needed in the middle of the election process, observed the apex court while adjourning the application.

The bench told the petitioner that the interim prayer raised in the present application was the same as of the petition pending before it since 2019. “Prima facie we are not inclined to grant any interim relief since prayer A of the 2019 petition is similar to prayer B of the 2024 application. List the interim plea after (summer) vacation,” ordered the bench.

(With agency inputs)