62.59% turnout in Delhi as AAP questions EC ahead of counting
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 9
Hours after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party questioned the Delhi Election Commission for failing to announce the final turnout, the panel today put out the official figure at 62.59 per cent, a drop from 67.12 per cent witnessed in 2015.
How Capital polled
- Highest Ballimaran 71.60%
- Lowest Delhi Cantt 45.40%
- Female 62.55 %
- Male 62.59%
The day was marked by AAP alleging EVM tampering and data manipulation ahead of February 11 counting and the EC trashing the charges.
“There has been no lapse on our part. It is not uncommon to announce voter percentage a day after elections. We are not late. Accuracy of data is our top priority. We had to review the data from 13,780 polling booths and match it. This takes time. There is no issue of being late,” Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed as “absolutely shocking” the delay in the crucial announcement.
“What is EC doing? Why are they not releasing poll turnout figures, several hours after polling?” Kejriwal said after Deputy CM Manish Sisodia earlier posted a caustic tweet, asking: “BJP leaders are doling out poll data but EC has not been able to tell 24 hours after elections as to what the voting percentage is. What is going on? Will the EC get the final tally from BJP office?” AAP even fielded its leader Sanjay Singh to publicly flag the issue with the Rajya Sabha MP terming such delay as unprecedented in 70 years of India’s Independence.
“Even in Lok Sabha elections, the turnout is announced well in time. What is conspiring in Delhi? What is cooking?’ said Singh signalling acute anxieties ahead of Tuesday counting.
AAP also triggered the EVM tampering debate today with Singh posting videos showing a poll officer carrying EVMs without police presence. “This official was caught with an EVM by people in Babarpur constituency,” Singh alleged.
The poll panel countered AAP allegations, saying voting data was shared with polling agents of each candidate and was not secret for them to allege manipulations. “Data was shared with all polling agents. It is not as though data was not shared with political parties or that we could manipulate data,” Ranbir Singh said.
On EVM tampering accusations, the Delhi EC said candidates of the segment in question were called for a meeting today and shown evidence of the fool-proof EVMs. “We showed them evidence that the EVMs being moved were reserve EVMs. Everyone went back satisfied,” Rabnir Singh said.
The Congress conceded that it never expected to do well in Delhi. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury praised Kejriwal saying if AAP won, it would be a vote for development.
