ECI Revolutionizes Post-Election Reporting with Tech-Driven Index Cards

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Thursday the streamlining of its technology-driven system for producing Index Cards and other post-election statistical reports. This revamped system promises speedier reporting through automation and data integration, replacing traditional manual methods that were time-consuming and prone to delays.

The Index Card represents a non-statutory, post-election statistical reporting format crafted by the ECI to enhance accessibility to election-related data at the constituency level for researchers, academia, policymakers, journalists, and the general public. It summarizes crucial information, including the list of candidates, number of electors, votes cast and counted, party-wise and candidate-wise vote shares, gender-based voting patterns, and regional voting variations.

Forming the basis for generating approximately 35 statistical reports for Lok Sabha elections and 14 for State Assembly elections, the Index Card's data encompass variables such as elector details, polling stations, voter turnout, and the performance of political parties. While these reports serve academic and research purposes, they derive from secondary data, as the primary data remains with Returning Officers.

(With inputs from agencies.)