Election Commission releases Lok Sabha seat-wise turnout data

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday released fresh data on all the five completed phases of Lok Sabha elections, complete with absolute number of voters for each parliamentary constituency, and denied any delay amid a simmering debate and court battles over the matter.

Saying that it had noted the "pattern of false narratives and mischievous design to vitiate electoral process", the poll panel asserted that it remains "fully committed to the highest level of transparency and involvement of stakeholders at every stage of the electoral cycle".

"Any alleged delay in the issue of press notes (with voter turnout data) of phase 1 does not mean that data was not available in the public domain all the time through the Voter Turnout App," the Election Commission of India (ECI) said in a statement.

It emphasised that no alteration is possible in the number of votes polled.

"The process of collection and storage of votes polled is rigorous, transparent, and participative... The whole exercise of release of turnout data from the date of commencement of polls on April 19, 2024, has been accurate, consistent and in accordance with election laws and without any discrepancy whatsoever," the ECI said.

The expanded data disclosure by the poll panel comes a day after the Supreme Court refused to direct ECI to release greater voter turnout details in the middle of the general elections.

The poll panel said it feels "duly strengthened" by the Supreme Court's observations and verdict and therefore with a sense of "higher responsibility" towards electoral democracy, it has decided to further expand the format of release of turnout data to include the absolute number of voters in every parliamentary constituency.