By Muslim Mirror Staff
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday released the absolute number of voters for the first five phases of the Lok Sabha elections following a sustained pressure from non-BJP parties, independent media houses and civil society groups and activists.
In a statement, the ECI said it has noted “the pattern of false narratives and mischievous design to vitiate electoral process.”
The statement comes a day after the Supreme Court of India adjourned petitions seeking release of booth-wise numbers of voter turnout and copies of Form 17C (which reflects the votes polled in each polling station) on the ECI’s website within 48 hours of polling, saying it cannot do so in the midst of elections.
The ECI refuted allegations about delay in the release of voter turnout data, saying it was always available 24X7 on the Voter Turnout App. “It publishes estimated voter turnout on two hourly basis till 1730 hrs. After 1900 hours when the polling parties start arriving, data is continuously updated. By midnight on the poll day, the Voter turnout app will show best estimated “Close of Poll (COP)” data in percentage form.”
The poll panel also said it has decided to further expand the format of turnout data to include the absolute number of voters in every parliamentary constituency. ( With PTI Inputs )