Amid concerns over alleged discrepancies in the voter turnout data, the ECI released comprehensive data for each of the five phases of the ongoing general elections. The data includes the absolute number of votes casted in each parliamentary constituency.
In response to the various demands and allegations raised by the opposition parties. The ECI clarified that there had been no delay in releasing the voter turnout data. The Commission stated that it had observed a pattern of fabricating false narratives and mischievous design to taint the electoral process.
It stated that the real time data was always accessible for both the general public and the candidates via the Voter Turnout App. The App has been accessible since the polling started on April 19. It keeps updating hourly updates on final turnout data by midnight of each polling day.
The ECI stated, “Voter turnout data was always available 24X7 on facilitative Voter Turnout App from 9:30am in the morning of poll day of each phase. 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 ECI also declared that any kind of altercation in the number of votes polled is not possible. This came after the Supreme Court recently refused to issue directions to the ECI on request of a NGO’s plea for uploading booth wise voter turnout data.
ECI Ensuring Data Transparency-
The Commission recognising the public demand for increased data transparency, outlined steps to enhance the same. These measures are-
- Upgraded Voter Turnout App- It will provide direct access to aggregate phase-wise turnout data, which was previously discernible through constituency-level data.
- Enhanced App Features- The Android version of the app now has screenshots functionality.
- Proactive Data Release- The constituency wise elector data which was already available to the candidates is now publicly released.
- Late Night Updates- The ECI is now releasing and updating the voter turnout till midnight around 11:45 PM on polling days.
- Post-Repoll Updates- Following the completion of any repolls, the ECI releases a third press note summarising the final statistics for each phase.
