New Delhi: Five phases of voting have taken place for the Lok Sabha elections. There are still two phases of voting left. After this the results will come on June 4. Amidst the ongoing political heat regarding the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission has said a big thing in the Supreme Court. The Election Commission told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that releasing polling station wise data will lead to anarchy. The Election Commission also told the court that the details of Form 17C showing the number of votes cast in the polling booth cannot be made public.
In fact, the Election Commission on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that ‘indiscriminate disclosure’ of polling station-wise voting percentage data and posting it on the website will create chaos in the electoral machinery, which is busy in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission said that the details of Form 17C showing the number of votes cast in a polling booth cannot be made public. This can cause chaos in the entire electoral system as it increases the possibility of tampering with photographs.
Election Commission replied
The Election Commission also rejected as false and misleading the allegation that the data released on polling day in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent press releases issued for each of the two phases showed an increase of ‘5-6 per cent’. The Election Commission said this in an affidavit filed in response to a petition by an NGO. The petition requested the Election Commission to upload polling station-wise data on the website within 48 hours of the conclusion of polling for each phase of Lok Sabha.
whose petition was it
The Election Commission said in a 225-page affidavit, “If the petitioner’s request is accepted, it will not only be legally unfavorable but it will also create chaos in the election machinery, which is already engaged in the Lok Sabha elections.” Let us tell you that this petition has been filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms. In the hearing on May 17, the Supreme Court had asked the Election Commission to file its reply.
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 23, 2024, 06:30 IST