EC to SC: Ready for talks on publishing booth-wise voter data

ECI UNDER LENS

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed petitioners seeking the publication of polling booth-wise voter turnout data to present their representations before the Election Commission of India (ECI) within ten days.

The court was considering the poll panel's stance on the demand during a hearing of two public interest litigations (PILs) filed in 2019.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan was hearing petitions filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The PILs urged the ECI to upload polling station-wise voter turnout figures on its website within 48 hours of polling during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Election Commission, informed the bench that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was willing to meet the petitioners and discuss their concerns. “There is a new chief election commissioner now. The petitioners can meet him, and it may be addressed,” Singh submitted before the court.