Variation in poll percentage figures: CEO attributes it to lack of uniformity in app entry

Chennai election officials face confusion in calculating polling percentage due to lack of uniformity in mobile app usage.

A lack of uniformity in using the mobile-based application by election officials on the day of polling in Tamil Nadu, led to the confusion in calculating the polling percentage, it has emerged.

While most of the election officials fed in inputs in the mobile-based app, a few did not do so and hence sample data was used and it was shared with the media, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said in Chennai on Monday. When the sample was less, the skew was more, he said. It was not mandatory for officials to key in inputs, as many of them may be busy with the polling on.

There was a prominent difference between the polling percentage shared by the respective ROs and the office of the CEO on the day of the polling. Every two hours on the day of polling, the offices of the respective ROs and the CEO was sharing figures.

The inputs fed in by officials on the app ‘Poll Turnout Monitoring System’ was for internal use, maintained Mr Sahoo. The information shared by the respective Returning Officers (ROs) was final, he said.

171 surveillance teams to continue in border districts

The Election Commission of India has retained 171 surveillance teams in Tamil Nadu, including 69 Flying Squad Teams (FST) and 102 Static Surveillance Teams (SST) in 12 districts sharing borders with poll-bound States.

Besides, 12 FSTs have been deployed in Krishnagiri nine each in Salem, Theni and Vellore, six each in Erode, Kanniyakumnari and Tirupattur, three each in Coimbatore, Tenkasi, the Nilgiris and Tiruppur districts.