Poll panel favours cluster counting of votes

The Election Commission Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it was in favour of cluster counting of votes instead of the existing practice of ward-wise counting.

The poll panel told the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice N.V. Ramana that it has written to the government to amend Rule 66 A of the Representation of the People Act to provide for cluster counting of votes of 15 polling booths taken together as against ward-wise counting that exposes the voting pattern of a ward.

Upon hearing the submission of the Election Commission, the court directed the listing of the matter for July 7 and asked the poll panel to file an affidavit stating its position.

The Election Commission made its submission to the court during the hearing of a public interest litigation by advocate Yogesh Sehgal, who sought direction to the poll panel to do away with ward-wise counting of votes.

The PIL said this method revealed to the political parties the number of votes cast in their favour in each ward.