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Coming out with the data, the ECI asserted that there was a pattern in the creation of false narratives, and that it was done with the mischievous design to destroy the legal validity of the electoral process. The electoral agency also asserted that the alteration of the number of votes polled was not possible
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday (May 25) released the constituency-wise voting data from the first five phases of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This comes amid a public discourse over the lack of official voter turnout data.
Coming out with the data, the ECI asserted that there was a pattern in the creation of false narratives, and that it was done with the mischievous design to destroy the legal validity of the electoral process. The electoral agency also asserted that the alteration of the number of votes polled was not possible.
Why did the ECI release data now?
The poll panel has come out with the absolute number of voters on its own. This comes a day after the Supreme Court of India refused to issue directions to ECI on the plea of an NGO — Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) — seeking polling booth-wise voter turnout data.
As per the PTI news agency, the ECI said it has decided to further expand the format of turnout data to include the absolute number of voters in every parliamentary constituency.
The absolute numbers are discernable parliamentary constituency-wise by all citizens by applying the turnout percentage to total electors, both already made available in the public domain, said the poll panel.
Here electors are those who are part of the electoral roll and eligible to voters and ‘voters’ refers to those that have actually cast their vote in an election.
While the EC had been issuing turnout percentage, there had been demands to make public the actual number of voters in every phase.
Previously, the Election Commission, hitting out at the plea of the petitioner, had said there are “certain elements with vested interests” who keep throwing baseless and false allegations, “creating an unwarranted atmosphere of suspicion” to discredit the Election Commission of India.
“It is most humbly submitted that there is a consistent malafide campaign/design/efforts to keep on raising suspicion and doubt in every possible manner and by misleading assertions and baseless,” it added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Moohita Kaur Garg
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.” — Albus Dumbledore (J. K
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