Sooner Voter Turnout Updates: Election Fee Permits Polling Stations To Add Information Straight
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The PRO of every polling station will instantly enter voter turnout on the brand new ECINET App each two hours on polling day
The brand new initiative will cut back the time lag within the replace of the approximate polling traits. This comes forward of the Bihar meeting polls, scheduled for later this yr. (Photograph: PTI file)
There can be no extra delay in voter turnout announcement by the Election Fee of India (ECI) because the ballot physique has allowed the Presiding Officer (PRO) of every polling station to instantly enter voter turnout on the brand new ECINET App each two hours.
The brand new initiative will cut back the time lag within the replace of the approximate polling traits. This comes forward of the Bihar meeting polls, scheduled for later this yr.
“The Election Fee of India is now introducing a streamlined, technology-driven system to offer well timed updates on the approximate voter turnout proportion traits. This new course of considerably reduces the time lag related to the sooner handbook reporting strategies,” an official assertion reads.
The initiative is among the many reforms launched by the Fee, beneath the management of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
What The Rule Says
Beneath the statutory framework of Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Guidelines, 1961, Presiding Officers (PROs) are required to furnish Type 17C, detailing the account of votes recorded, to polling brokers, who’re nominated by the candidates and are current on the polling station on the shut of ballot.
Whereas this authorized requirement stays unchanged, the method of updating the VTR App, which had advanced as a facilitative, non-statutory mechanism to maintain the general public knowledgeable of the approximate voter turnout proportion traits is being streamlined to make sure sooner updation.
What Has Modified?
Beneath this new initiative, the PRO of every polling station will instantly enter voter turnout on the brand new ECINET App each two hours on polling day with a purpose to cut back the time lag within the replace of the approximate polling traits. This can be mechanically aggregated on the constituency stage.
The approximate voting proportion traits will proceed to be printed each two hours as earlier than.
Additionally on the shut of the polls, the PRO will instantly enter the voter turnout knowledge on ECINET earlier than they depart the polling station. This may cut back the delays and be sure that the approximate proportion of votes polled can be out there on the up to date VTR App constituency-wise after the shut of polls topic to community connectivity.
The place cellular networks are unavailable, entries could be made offline and synced as soon as connectivity is restored. This up to date VTR App will turn into an integral a part of ECINET earlier than the Bihar elections.
To this point, voter turnout knowledge was collected manually by Sector Officers and relayed to Returning Officers (ROs) through cellphone calls, SMS, or messaging apps.
This data was aggregated each two hours and uploaded to the Voter Turnout (VTR) App.
The polling proportion traits had been usually up to date hours later, based mostly on bodily information arriving late within the night time and even the subsequent day, resulting in delays of 4–5 hours or extra, which led to public misperceptions.
In the course of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this challenge was raised by quite a few political events as on some events, the voter turnout was introduced the subsequent day because of the delay. The reform, forward of the Bihar polls, will assist the fee in saying the voter turnout on time.
Nivedita Singh is a knowledge journalist and covers the Election Fee, Indian Railways and Ministry of Street Transport and Highways. She has almost seven years of expertise within the information media. She tweets @nived…Learn Extra
Nivedita Singh is a knowledge journalist and covers the Election Fee, Indian Railways and Ministry of Street Transport and Highways. She has almost seven years of expertise within the information media. She tweets @nived… Learn Extra
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