EC puts third phase final voting number at 65.68%, lower than 2019
Voting percentage so far in the three phases lower than the turnout five years back
The Election Commission on Saturday gave out the final voter turnout figure for the third phase of polling at 65.68 per cent. There is no dierence between the updated figure it announced on May 8, but the turnout was lower than the 68.4 per cent recorded in the 2019 general elections. With this, the polling percentage in the first three phases have been lower than in 2019.
However, the EC is yet to give the absolute number of people who exercised their franchise in the third phase. Data showed that around 67 per cent males voted, while it was over 64 per cent for females. Assam had highest percentage of female voters, followed by West Bengal and Goa. Also, West Bengal, Goa and Bihar saw more female voting than male.
Talking about data collection, the Commission said that parliamentary and assembly constituency-wise data is updated regularly on the Voter Turnout app as well as in the IT system by returning ocers through Form 17C. A copy of Form 17C is also provided to every candidate through polling agents. The final turnout number is made available post counting, taking into account the postal ballots.
REBUTTAL TO CONG CHIEF
On Friday, the EC issued a pointby-point rebuttal to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s charges of glaring mismanagement and delay in release of voter turnout data, and advised him to “exercise caution and refrain in making such statements”.
In a cryptic remark, the Commission said the Congress president’s letter, made public through social media platform X, was ‘unwarranted’ and ‘reflective of a biased and deliberate attempt to spread confusion on credibility of electoral steps’. “A trend of irresponsible statements attacking or attempting to degrade the credibility of elections in terms of men and material by a national political party is disconcerting,” the EC rued.
SOCIAL MEDIA IN A TIZZY
Last month, there was a social media uproar after businessline reported that the Commission had not given the final polling data for the first 2 phases, days after voting.
The report, quoting the top EC ocial, said that the final polling percentage for the two first phases was 66.14 and 66.71 per cent, respectively, although this figure was not released ocially at the time. The long delay in releasing the final figures was not explained. Also, voter turnout in the first two phases of voting in the ongoing general elections was nearly 6 per cent higher than the preliminary number made public on the date of the polling.