Lok Sabha Election Turnout Data: No Legal Basis to Share Voter Turnout

Election Commission tells Supreme Court amid Opposition allegations Amid continuous questioning from opposition parties, including Congress, the Election Commission responded in the Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 22, 2024), stating that there is no legal basis to share voter turnout data with anyone other than candidates and their agents.

In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission stated, "The details of Form 17C, which reveal the number of votes cast at each polling centre, cannot be made public as it could lead to disorder in the electoral system, as it increases the possibility of tampering with images."

What did the Election Commission say? The Election Commission argued that indiscriminate disclosure of polling percentage data centre-wise and posting it on the website would lead to disorder in the electoral machinery, which is engaged in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission also dismissed the allegation as incorrect and misleading, stating that there has been an increase of 5-6% in the voter turnout data released in the press statements issued after each phase of polling, both in the first two phases and later in the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission made this statement in response to an affidavit filed in response to a plea from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which sought direction to the Election Commission to upload polling centre-wise turnout data on the website within 48 hours of the completion of voting in each phase of Lok Sabha elections.

The Association for Democratic Reforms: What did they say? In its plea, the ADR requested the Election Commission to upload polling centre-wise turnout data on the website within 48 hours of the completion of voting in each phase of Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission stated in the affidavit, "If the petitioner's request is accepted, it will not only be legally wrong but also create disorder in the electoral machinery, which is already engaged in the Lok Sabha elections."

The Opposition is also raising concerns Congress raised questions on Wednesday regarding the significant difference between the actual time of voting and the final figures released by the Election Commission.

Pawan Khera, head of the party's media department, said, "Voters are concerned about the activities of the Election Commission during all four phases of voting. First, the Commission takes 10-11 days to release the final voting figures, and then there is a difference between the actual time and the final figures. Such a discrepancy in voting has never happened in history."