No delay in release of voter turnout data, pattern ongoing in creating false narratives: ECI

The poll body said that it has taken note of a pattern that is going on in "creating false narratives and mischievous design to vitiate electoral process".

New Delhi: Welcoming the Supreme Court‘s decision to not pass any direction on a plea seeking the uploading of Form 17C data, the Election Commission of India on Saturday said that nobody can change data of votes polled, shared on poll day with polling agents of all candidates through Form 17C.

The poll body said that it has taken note of a pattern that is going on in “creating false narratives and mischievous design to vitiate electoral process”.

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The Election Commission stated that 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 24×7 on Voter Turnout APP for citizens at large,” the poll body said.

Commission on its own released Parliamentary Constituency-wise absolute number of voters for all completed phases, which otherwise was discernable by all stakeholders themselves by applying the turnout percentage to total electors, both already made available in the public domain, the poll body said.

EC reiterated that nobody can change the data of votes polled, shared on poll day with polling agents of all candidates through Form 17C. Authorized agents of all candidates will have form 17C across 543 PCs, distinctively for each of approximately 10.5 lakh polling stations.

The poll body said that it feels duly strengthened by the Supreme Court’s observations and verdict on the process of release of turnout data by the Election Commission of India. “This brings upon the Commission, a higher responsibility to serve the cause of electoral democracy with undeterred resolution,” ECI said.

ECI said that the issue of press notes is just another facilitative while full data is always available 24×7 on the voters’ turnout app. 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.

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.

The apex court clarified that it has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case apart from the prima facie view. The apex court was hearing an application filed by the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking disclosure of final authenticated data of voter turnout in all polling stations including the number of votes polled in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 within 48 hours of the polling.

Issue of press notes is just another facilitative while full data is always available 24×7 on the voters’ turnout app. 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.