Ahead of voting for the 7th and final phase on June 1, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Wednesday raised questions about the Election Commission's decision to release the voter turnout numbers for the 6th phase of the Lok Sabha election within 72 hours of polling.
Taking to X, Saket Gokhale said, "There's something very suspicious going on at the Election Commission."
On Tuesday, May 28, the Election Commission released the voter turnout numbers for Phase 6, held on May 25.
In his tweet, Gokhale highlighted the ECI's submission before the Supreme Court on May 17, in which the poll body said it failed to release the voter turnout numbers for Phase 1 for several days because "it takes time."
"On May 22, the ECI told the SC that people do not have the legal right to know voter turnout numbers. On May 24, the SC adjourned the petition asking for voter turnout numbers until after the vacations," wrote Gokhale.
In his post, Gokhale pointed out that on May 25, after voting finished for Phase 6, the poll body released the voter turnout numbers for Phases 1-5, and on May 28, it released the numbers for the 6th phase within 72 hours.
Saket Gokhale's questions:
- Why did ECI fight & refuse to disclose voter turnout numbers in the SC on 22nd May and then suddenly change its mind after 3 days?
- If voter turnout numbers can be given within 72 hours (as seen yesterday), why did the ECI claim in the SC that it is not possible to do so for Phases 1-5?
The ECI's actions are the complete opposite of what it'd claimed in the Supreme Court.
Why did ECI lie in the Supreme Court about the mechanism of releasing voter turnout numbers & then suddenly do the opposite?
If voter turnout numbers can be published in 72 hours for Phase-6, why did ECI fight in the SC and refuse to give out numbers for Phases 1-5?
At the end of his post Gokhale seeking response for the poll body wrote, "There needs to be an immediate response & detailed clarification from Election Commission on this. The bizarre actions and u-turns of the ECI raise very serious questions which need to be answered."
