INDIA bloc leaders to meet ECI over voter turnout data
What's the story
Leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will meet with the Election Commission of India on Friday to demand the release of delayed voter turnout data for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
On Tuesday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the opposition bloc parties, asking if the delay was an "attempt to doctor...final results."
The Congress, the Trinamool Congress, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had also earlier written to the ECI, expressing concerns about the same.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Over 10 days after Phase 1 and four days after Phase 2 polling, the ECI released the final voter turnout percentages for the initial rounds on April 30.
Soon after, the opposition had raised concerns over the delay in release of the data.
The parties had also pointed out that the poll body did not release the total number of voters in each constituency, and the number of votes polled in each constituency in the initial phases.
Details
Opposition seeks details on total votes polled per constituency
The ECI website by then only showed the number of voters in a state and in each booth.
Amid the row, the ECI had said that booth-wise data of the "actual number of votes polled" is available to the candidates soon after voting ends.
On Monday, the ECI released the total number of electors in every seat. Opposition parties, however, have also sought the details of the number of voters who exercised their franchise.
Data delays
INDIA bloc to question ECI over voter data
According to reports, during the meeting on Friday, the bloc will press for its demand for timely release of the comprehensive data with the ECI.
Ever since the voting concluded for the first phase of elections, several opposition leaders have flagged this issue.
Last week, in an X post, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury questioned the lack of absolute numbers of voters in each constituency.
He said, "Percentages are meaningless unless this figure is known."
Opposition reaction
'Apprehension of manipulation of results'
"Apprehensions of manipulation of results continue as total voter numbers can be altered at the time of counting. Total number of voters in each constituency was always available on ECI website till 2014!" Yechury's post had said.
Based on the data provided by the poll panel, the voter turnout for the first phase was 66.14%—around 4% lower than the first phase of the 2019 polls.
The turnout for Phase 2 was 66.71%—a decrease of 3% compared to 2019.
Kharge's letter
Kharge questioned jump in voter turnout
Quoting these figures in his letter to the INDIA bloc, Kharge had asked why the final voter turnout increased by 5.5% from the conclusion of voting, at 7:00pm on April 19, to the delayed release of voter turnout data on April 30.
Similarly, for the second phase, there was an increase of around 5.74% from the conclusion of voting at 7:00pm on April 26 to the delayed release of data four days later, Kharge said in the letter.
Poll data
'Doubts on quality of data'
Kharge also added, "The inordinate delay in the release of the final voting percentages for the First and Second phases raises serious doubts on the quality of data."
"In my electoral life of 52 years, I have never witnessed such a high increment of voting percentages, in the final published data, that we now assume came from the later hours of voting on the polling days," he said.
Meeting with ECI
Opposition bloc to discuss 'communal politics' with poll panel
Meanwhile, in their meeting with the ECI, the opposition bloc is also expected to discuss allegations of "communal" politics in general elections.
Opposition parties had earlier approached the panel over speeches made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders during election campaigns, alleging violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
The ECI had also issued notices to BJP President JP Nadda and Congress President Kharge in response to complaints from both opposition parties and the BJP.