Amidst the ongoing 6th phase of the Lok Sabha election, the Election Commission of India has recently unveiled absolute voter turnout numbers for the five phases of polls happened till now on Saturday.
Reinforcing, that the polling data will remains or remains accessible to both the candidates and people.
Further, hitting out at what is considered a “pattern of false narratives and mischievous design to vitiate electoral process”, the ECI has declared, that voter turnout data is always through its App from 9:30 am of the poll day of each phase.
These data were released around the time, when supreme court refused to give directions to poll body for uploading booth-wise polling turnout data during the Lok Sabha elections. Thus adopting “hands-off attitude.”
After the judgement, ECI said,
“The Commission feels duly strengthened by the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s observations and verdict on the process of release of turnout data by the Election Commission of India.”
It further stressed, that any changes in the number of votes polled isn’t possible with the presence of rigorous, transparent and participative process involved.
Later, talking about form 17C, the commission revealed, that the total number of votes recorded in form 17C cannot be changed as they are available to all contesting candidates.
Further pointing some other facts, ECI said,
“Agents of candidates are always allowed to accompany EVM and statutory papers, including form 17 C from polling station till storage in a strong room as per Rule 49 V (2) of the Conduct of Election Rules 1961… “The candidate or his agents bring the copy of the form 17C to the counting centre and compare it with the result in each round.”