India Lok Sabha Elections 2024 National News Politics

EC Revealed Total Number Of Voters For All Completed Phases

Today, the Election Commission (EC) revealed the total number of voters for all completed phases of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which includes six out of seven phases. In a statement, the EC also mentioned its awareness of false narratives and attempts to disrupt the electoral process.

This statement follows a recent decision by the Supreme Court to postpone petitions seeking the release of voter turnout data, including votes cast and rejected, until after the Lok Sabha elections. These petitions requested the EC to compile and publish this data on its website after each phase of voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission expressed confidence in its role following the Supreme Court’s observations and verdict on the release of turnout data. This statement was issued today while voting was underway in the sixth phase, with the final phase scheduled for June 1.

The EC stated, “The Commission now has a greater responsibility to uphold electoral democracy with unwavering determination,”.

The Election Commission asserted that the process of releasing turnout data since the beginning of elections on April 19 has been accurate, consistent, and in compliance with election laws “without any discrepancy whatsoever.”

The EC dismissed allegations regarding delays in releasing voter turnout data, stating that the data had been consistently available on the facilitative voter turnout app from 9:30 am on the polling day of each phase.

The EC clarified, “The app provides estimated voter turnout on a two-hourly basis until 5:30 pm. Data is continuously updated after 7:00 pm when polling parties start returning. By midnight on the polling day, the app will display the 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 the next morning. 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 (p denotes polling day) or more days, depending upon arrival of parties and number of re-polls, if any,” the EC said in the statement.

During the Supreme Court hearing regarding the turnout controversy, several Opposition leaders, including Mahua Moitra and Congress’s Pawan Khera, raised concerns about potential vote fraud. They expressed apprehensions that the increased number of votes shown after polling could be illegally added to the tally of any one political party.

Furthermore, Justices S Narasimha and Sanjay Karol highlighted that the interim appeal by the petitioner, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), resembled a writ petition filed by Ms. Moitra in 2019. This petition sought the Election Commission to “formulate a protocol mandating reporting of Form 17C within 48 hours for a Lok Sabha election,” which remains unresolved.

Justice Datta stated that the court questioned ADR on the connection between the 2019 and 2024 applications and why a separate writ petition was not filed. It emphasized that it would not intervene in the midst of an election. “This application will be heard after the election… in-between an election, hands off. We cannot interrupt the electoral process… we are also responsible citizens.”

 

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