The Election Commission of India (ECI) has streamlined its system for generating Index Cards and various statistical reports after elections, using a technology-driven approach . This upgraded mechanism replaces traditional manual methods, which were often time-consuming and prone to delays . By leveraging automation and data integration, the new system ensures faster reporting .
Purpose of Index card :
- The Index Card is a non-statutory, post-election statistical reporting format developed by the ECI to promote accessibility of election-related data at the constituency level for all stakeholders, including researchers, academia, policymakers, journalists, and the general public .
- It disseminates data across multiple dimensions, such as candidates, electors, votes polled, votes counted, party-wise and candidate-wise vote share, gender-based voting patterns, regional variations, and performance of political parties .
- The Index Card forms the foundation for generating about 35 Statistical Reports for Lok Sabha elections and 14 for State Assembly elections . These reports cover variables like State/PC/AC-wise elector details, the number of polling stations, state and constituency-wise voter turnout, participation of women electors, performance of national/state parties and Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs), winning candidates’ analysis, detailed constituency-wise results, and summary data reports .
- This rich, data-driven resource enhances the capacity for deep electoral research contributing to a stronger democratic discourse . However, these statistical reports are meant solely for academic and research purposes and are based on secondary data from Index Cards, while the primary and final data remains in the statutory forms maintained by the concerned Returning Officers .
- Earlier, this information was manually filled at the Constituency level using various statutory formats in Physical Index Cards. These physical Index Cards were subsequently used for data entry into the online system to facilitate the generation of statistical reports. This manual, multi-layered process was time-consuming and frequently led to delays in data availability and dissemination .For national news www.eminentnews.com
