Election Commission welcomes Supreme Court order on publishing voter turnout data

The Election Commission of India (ECI) welcomed the Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to refrain from directing any changes regarding a plea that sought the immediate online publication of all data from Form 17C. The ECI affirmed that the data on votes polled, as recorded and shared with polling agents via Form 17C on poll day, is immutable and secure.

The ECI addressed concerns about attempts to create "false narratives and mischievous designs to vitiate the electoral process," emphasizing that there has been no delay in releasing voter turnout data. The Commission highlighted that detailed voter turnout information for each parliamentary constituency has always been accessible to candidates and the public through the Voter Turnout app.

To ensure transparency, the ECI has independently published the absolute number of voters for all completed phases of the election. This data, derived from publicly available turnout percentages and total electors, reinforces the ECI's commitment to a transparent electoral process.

Form 17C, which records votes polled and is distributed to authorized agents of all candidates, is available across all 543 Parliamentary Constituencies and approximately 1.05 million polling stations. The Supreme Court's recent verdict underscored the robustness of the ECI's data release processes, bolstering the Commission's resolve to maintain the integrity of electoral democracy.

The ECI clarified that while press notes serve as supplementary facilitation, comprehensive voter turnout data has been continuously accessible via the Voter Turnout app. Despite claims of delayed press notes during the first phase, real-time data was always available to the public through this app. The ECI has issued 13 press notes covering voter turnout across five phases to date.

On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to issue directives on a plea for the online publication of Form 17C data and booth-wise voter turnout. The bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Dutta and Satish Chandra Sharma, denied interim relief, citing the ongoing election process and the scheduled sixth phase on Saturday. The court chose a "hands-off" approach during elections, adjourning the application to a later date.

The bench noted that the interim plea echoed a pending 2019 petition, postponing the matter until after the summer vacation without expressing opinions on the case's merits beyond a preliminary view. The Supreme Court addressed a plea from the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which sought the disclosure of authenticated voter turnout data within 48 hours of polling in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The ECI reiterated that while press notes are supplementary, comprehensive data remains perpetually available on the Voter Turnout app.