The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): On Thursday, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal voiced concerns over the credibility of the Election Commission (EC) due to a significant delay in the release of voting data for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The data, which typically provides insights into voter turnout, was not published on the EC’s website until eleven days after the polls closed.
Sibal highlighted the critical need for transparency and promptness in electoral processes, questioning the reliability of the EC and other institutions in maintaining public trust. “The Supreme Court has emphasized that every citizen should have confidence in the Election Commission, but delays like this undermine that trust,” Sibal commented, referring to recent judicial rulings on election integrity.
He suggested that the EC should promptly explain the reasons for the delay in data publication through a press conference, recalling that during previous tenures of election commissioners, such data was released either the same day or the following morning.
The issue also touched on broader electoral integrity debates, including recent Supreme Court decisions rejecting demands for complete verification of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips and calls to return to paper ballots.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of the issue, criticizing the EC, the central government, and the BJP for their resistance to fully counting VVPAT slips when legal challenges arise. “If the central government advocated for counting all VVPATs, the Election Commission would likely comply,” Bharadwaj stated, highlighting political influences on electoral procedures.