- ECI mandates compulsory Form 17C collection by political parties.
- Collection of Form 17C will be videotaped for transparency.
- Form 17C details votes recorded at polling stations.
In a major update, the Election Commission of India asserted that Form 17 C will be made more transparent for the political parties. This comes after several questions were raised on the way votes were cast and counted after the results.
In the mandate, the ECI said that the political parties must compulsorily obtain this form related to voting and counting. Without it, they will not be able to leave either the polling station or the counting counter. The delivery of this form to political party agents will also be videotaped, so they cannot deny it later.
Why is it started?
The Election Commission has recently started this initiative after questions were raised regarding the difference between the votes cast and counted after the results in many states, including Maharashtra and Haryana. It is believed that this can be implemented in the assembly elections to be held in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, early next year.
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According to sources within the Election Commission, even after voting and counting, there is a provision to issue Form 17C to political party agents present at the polling booth. This form is still issued. However, at many booths, it was taken lightly. Political party agents were reluctant to obtain it, and presiding officers were also hesitating for the same. Form 17C is distributed to political party agents at two locations during elections.
It is given for the first time at the polling booth after the voting and again after the counting of votes.
What is Form 17 C?
Form 17C is the official statutory record of votes recorded at a polling station. Part I of the form contains comprehensive voting metrics, including the total number of registered voters at the booth, the number of voters who cast their votes, and details of any mock polls conducted prior to voting. Additionally, it records the identification numbers of the EVMs used and the precise vote counts logged in each machine.
Using Part I as a baseline, political parties can cross-verify figures during counting. Once counting concludes, political parties receive Form 17C, Part II.
According to official sources, the Election Commission will also launch an awareness campaign to educate political parties on Form 17C. This initiative aims to ensure booth agents are fully trained to collect the form before departing. Since political parties deploy agents to oversee operations at every booth, this measure ensures full oversight throughout the election process.
Transparent Approach To Address Questions
The Election Commission also adopted a transparent process to address questions raised about voter turnout. Each presiding officer was instructed to upload voting data before leaving the polling station. Consequently, in the last election, all voter turnout information was updated by 9:00 p.m.
There have been no significant changes since. Previously, voter turnout information was updated only the following day, resulting in a two to three percent discrepancy between the polling day and the following day.