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Delegation urges Election Commission to release verified voter turnout data

Petition To Election Commission

HYDERABAD: A delegation comprising of Anjali Bhardwaj, Ashok Sharma, Shabnam Hashmi, Navsharan Singh & Amrita Johri submitted a petition to the Election Commission of India (ECI) requesting the ECI to disclose verified voter turnout data as found in Part I of Form 17C.

Details stated in the petition

Petition states that “For the first phase of elections, the ECI in its press note on the day of polling (19.4.2024) stated that as of 7 pm, the estimated voter turnout was over 60%. The voter turnout data published 11 days later by ECI on April 30th, provided a figure of 66.14%- a jump of more than 6%. Similarly, for the second phase, the press note on the day of polling (26.4.2024) stated that the approximate voter turnout was 60.96% as of 7 pm, which was subsequently revised to 66.71% in the press note of April 30, 2024.

The inordinate delay in the release of voter turnout, coupled with the unusually high revision (of nearly 6%) sans any explanation in the ECI’s press note of April 30th, has raised concerns and doubts among people about the voter turnout figures. Public trust in the electoral process is key to ensure robust functioning of our democracy. We, therefore, urge the ECI to immediately upload on the Commission’s website a scanned legible copy of Part I of Form 17C (Account of Votes Recorded) of every polling station where voting took place in the first three phases.

Demand for Timely Disclosure of Voter Turnout Figures by ECI

Further, for the remaining phases, this information must be publicly displayed on the Election Commission website within 48 hours of the close of polls. In addition to uploading a scanned copy of the forms, a tabulation of the constituency and polling station wise figures of voter turnout in absolute numbers must also be publicly displayed on the ECI website.”

The ECI has not disclosed voter turnout numbers for the completed election phases. A petition for more transparency in the electoral process has gained support from various activists, lawyers, civil servants, and citizens, including prominent names like Anjali Bhardwaj, Prashant Bhushan, and Yogendra Yadav.

The full petition with the signatures can be accessed at- drive.google.com/file/d/1m2POt2

For any further information please contact Anjali Bhardwaj (9910009819) or Amrita Johri (9810273984).