The Election Commission on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it is against the current ward-wise declaration of vote counting in election and has asked the Centre to introduce cluster counting in order to protect right to privacy attached to voting.
The EC informed a Bench, headed by Justice Dipak Misra, that it had written to the Centre to amend the rule and do away with the declaration of results of every polling booth. After which, the Bench asked EC to file an affidavit and posted the case for hearing on July 7.Meanwhile, the SC also issued notice to the Centre and asked it to file its response within four weeks on a PIl, seeking stoppage of ward-wise counting of votes on the ground that the declaration of result of every poll booth strikes at the root of right to privacy attached to voting.
The Bench was hearing a PIl filed by Punjab-based advocate Yogesh Gupta which contended that “the uniform way of declaration of result for the entire constituency as a whole would bring balanced growth and balanced funding and it would also reduce cases fuelled by political vendetta, ill will and hatred”.The lawyer in his petition cited the alleged threat by Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar to residents of Baramati village on the eve of polling that he would cut-off water supply if they did not cast their ballot in favour of his cousin and sitting NCP MP Supriya Sule.
The advocate further said that by declaration of results of every parliamentary constituency the political parties would only get information regarding the votes cast in the entire constituency.