Context: Alleging irregularities, Opposition leaders want the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish online ‘Form 17C data,’ which contains the absolute number of votes polled in a booth.
About Form 17C data:
- As per the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 (1961 Rules), the ECI has to maintain two forms namely Forms 17A and 17C, that have data on the number of electors and the votes polled.
- 17A is used to record the details of every voter who comes into a polling booth and casts his or her vote, and 17C is an account of all the votes recorded.
- Under Rule 49S(2), a presiding officer is mandated to furnish a copy of the entries made in Form 17C to the polling agents of the candidates at the close of polling.
- Form 17C has two parts:
- Part I of Form 17C contains crucial information such as the identification numbers of the EVMs used in the polling station, the total number of electors assigned to the polling station, the total number of voters as entered in the register for voters (Form 17A), the number of voters who decided not to record their votes after signing the register, the number of voters who were not allowed to vote, the total number of test votes and votes recorded per EVM.
- Part II of the same form contains the results of the counting carried out on the stipulated day.
- The data in Form 17C is used by candidates to verify the results on counting day by matching it with the EVM count. Subsequently, an election petition can also be moved in the concerned High Court in case of any discrepancies to ensures transparency and accountability in the electoral process.