New Delhi: After having come in the way of criticism for releasing voter turnout data in an unusual format 11 days after polling, the Election Commission on May 3 in a press release said that it remains keenly focused on “enhancing voter turnout” and providing figures in a timely manner.
On May 4, the poll body followed up with another press release – in which it calls itself “a beacon of electoral integrity and transparency” – to announce that Election Management Bodies of 23 countries including Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Australia and Russia, will arrive to watch the elections unfold in six states, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
This comes while the EC battles severe criticism for ignoring openly communal speeches delivered in campaign rallies by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and echoed by ministers and leaders of his party.
In April, reports had said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had extended invitations to over 25 political parties from foreign countries to observe the polls, 13 of whom had confirmed.
‘Due importance to timely release’
The May 3 release notes that the EC has purportedly doubled up its “voter participation interventions” to overcome the small drop in turnout in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls.
The turnout, as the EC had revealed on May 1, has been 66.14% in phase 1 and 66.71% in phase 2. In its press release yesterday, the EC said that the figures somewhat “lag the high benchmarks of 2019.”
Several had noted that the EC had only given turnout percentages and did not include the total number of electors in a constituency or the number of people who voted in a given phase. Such figures had been given in 2019, some said.
Despite the 11-day delay in turnout figure release, the EC has said that it attaches “due importance to timely release of voter turnout figures after each phase of the polls.”
“Disclosures and transparency are standard practices in ECI’s work,” it said.
Later, it adds that “even boothwise data of actual number of votes polled is available with the candidates, which is a statutory requirement.”
It adds that “the Commission is committed to provide voter turnout figures timely that is useful for media and other stakeholders in the coming phases.”
‘Figures disappointing’
The EC also stressed on the rural-urban divide in turnout figures, noting its disappointment.
“Commission is disappointed with the turnout level in some metropolitan cities in phase 2 polls, a pointer to the rigid levels of apathy in India’s high-tech city. Cities in NCR have fared no better. ECI last month assembled many metro Commissioners in Delhi to work out a strategy to fight urban apathy,” it said.
The Wire has analysed what the dip in urban turnout means and that it signifies among other things, voters’ discontentment.
Among initiatives that the EC has highlighted it has taken up to ensure participation are tie ups with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), post offices, a voting day alert on Facebook, various ministries, the streaming platform Spotify and the motorcycle app Rapido, news organisations like NDTV and Times of India and the payment portal PhonePe.
