Editor's Pick | EC releases data on number of votes cast in first five Lok Sabha polls

On May 25, the Election Commision released constituency wise data on the number of votes cast during the first five phases of the Lok Sabha polls. It stressed that any alteration in the number of polled votes was not possible, and alleged that false narratives were being created to derail the electoral process. The data about absolute number of voters were released by the EC on its own a day after the Supreme Court refused to issue directions to the poll body to upload booth-wise voter turnout data on its website. The Court was responding to a plea by the Association for Democratic Reforms to this effect. Phase 6 of the Lok Sabha elections is currently underway. Phase-wise turnout percentages from earlier phases as well as the results for the 2014 and 2019 elections can be accessed here. While electors refer to all those on the electoral roll and eligible to vote, voters refer to the people who actually cast their votes in the election. Till now, the EC had been issuing the voter turnout percentage. The poll body stated its decision to also include the absolute number of voters in every constituency, thus expanding the format of the turnout data released by it. It noted that the absolute numbers constituency-wise could be calculated by anyone by applying the turnout percentage to the total number of electors. Both these data points were already available in the public domain, it said. Opposition parties and NGOs however had called for the actual number of voters in every phase to be disclosed. Some parties have also expressed suspicions that the turnout data could be manipulated. Responding to these claims, the EC highlighted that the process of vote collection and storage is rigorous, transparent and participative, saying that the release of turnout data from the start of Lok Sabha polls on April 19 has been “accurate, consistent and in accordance with election laws and without any discrepancy whatsoever.” It specified that there was no scope for fudging this data. It said that the final list of electors is given to candidates after the final list of contesting candidates is prepared, and noted that “authorised agents of all candidates will be having form 17C (the document that records the booth-wise data of the votes polled) across the 543 seats distinctively for each of the approximately 10.5 lakh polling stations.” The EC highlighted that the authorised agents of candidates are always allowed to accompany the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and statutory papers, including form 17C, from the polling station till they are stored in a strong room in keeping with Rule 49V(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, it noted. Candidates or their agents can bring a copy of Form 17C to the counting centre and compare it with the result in each round. The EC stressed that the voter turnout data had always been available to all citizens on the Voter Turnout App from 9.30 a.m. on the start of polling day during each phase, saying that any “alleged delay in the issue of press notes of phase” did not mean that this data was not in the public domain. In an affidavit before the Supreme Court earlier this week, the EC said that there was a “design, a pattern at play” and that the petitioners were misusing the forum of the court to create doubts in voters through conspiracy theories. The Hindu’s Profiles Prabir Purkayastha | The fight goes on Karim Khan | Man on a mission The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which of the following is the rare genetic condition where the blood does not clot properly? Histiocytosis Thrombocytopenia Haemophilia Hemolytic anemia To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 26 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 26 May 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( EC releases data on number of votes cast in first five Lok Sabha polls On May 25, the Election Commision [released constituency wise data on the number of votes cast during the first five phases]( of the Lok Sabha polls. It stressed that any alteration in the number of polled votes was not possible, and alleged that false narratives were being created to derail the electoral process. The data about absolute number of voters were released by the EC on its own a day after the Supreme Court [refused to issue directions to the poll body]( to upload booth-wise voter turnout data on its website. The Court was responding to a plea by the Association for Democratic Reforms to this effect. [Phase 6 of the Lok Sabha elections]( is currently underway.  [Phase-wise turnout percentages from earlier phases as well as the results for the 2014 and 2019 elections can be accessed here](. While electors refer to all those on the electoral roll and eligible to vote, voters refer to the people who actually cast their votes in the election. Till now, the EC had been issuing the voter turnout percentage. The poll body stated its decision to also include the absolute number of voters in every constituency, thus expanding the format of the turnout data released by it. It noted that the absolute numbers constituency-wise could be calculated by anyone by applying the turnout percentage to the total number of electors. Both these data points were already available in the public domain, it said.  [Opposition parties]( and NGOs however had [called for the actual number of voters in every phase to be disclosed]( Some parties have also expressed suspicions that the turnout data could be manipulated. Responding to these claims, the EC highlighted that the process of vote collection and storage is rigorous, transparent and participative, saying that the release of turnout data from the start of Lok Sabha polls on April 19 has been “accurate, consistent and in accordance with election laws and without any discrepancy whatsoever.” It specified that there was no scope for fudging this data. It said that the final list of electors is given to candidates after the final list of contesting candidates is prepared, and noted that “authorised agents of all candidates will be having form 17C (the document that records the booth-wise data of the votes polled) across the 543 seats distinctively for each of the approximately 10.5 lakh polling stations.” The EC highlighted that the authorised agents of candidates are always allowed to accompany the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and statutory papers, including form 17C, from the polling station till they are stored in a strong room in keeping with Rule 49V(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, it noted. Candidates or their agents can bring a copy of Form 17C to the counting centre and compare it with the result in each round. The EC stressed that the voter turnout data had always been available to all citizens on the Voter Turnout App from 9.30 a.m. on the start of polling day during each phase, saying that any “alleged delay in the issue of press notes of phase” did not mean that this data was not in the public domain. In an affidavit before the Supreme Court earlier this week, the EC said that there was a “design, a pattern at play” and that the petitioners were misusing the forum of the court to create doubts in voters through conspiracy theories.  The Hindu’s Profiles [Arrow][Prabir Purkayastha | The fight goes onÂ]( [Arrow][Karim Khan | Man on a missionÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which of the following is the rare genetic condition where the blood does not clot properly? - Histiocytosis - Thrombocytopenia - Haemophilia - Hemolytic anemia To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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