New Tech-Enabled System Developed by Election Commission of India for Swift Sharing of Index Cards and Statistical Reports
Raipur
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has developed a streamlined, technology-driven system for faster sharing of index cards and statistical reports.
Under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, the Commission has implemented a systematic, tech-based process to prepare index cards and various statistical reports following the conclusion of elections. This upgraded system replaces traditional manual methods, which were often time-consuming and prone to delays. By leveraging automation and data integration, the new system ensures quicker and more efficient reporting.
The Index Card is a non-statutory, post-election statistical reporting format voluntarily developed by the ECI to make election-related data at the constituency level accessible to all stakeholders—including researchers, academicians, policymakers, journalists, and the general public. It is designed to disseminate data on various aspects such as candidates, voters, votes polled and counted, party-wise and candidate-wise vote shares, gender-based voting patterns, regional diversity, and the performance of political parties. The Index Card serves as the foundation for approximately 35 statistical reports for Lok Sabha elections and 14 for State Assembly elections.
These reports include detailed voter information by state/parliamentary/assembly constituency, the number of polling stations, voter turnout by state and constituency, participation of women voters, the performance of national and state parties and Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs), analysis of winning candidates, and detailed results and summary data by constituency. This rich, data-driven resource enhances the scope of electoral research and contributes to a robust democratic discourse.
It is important to note that these statistical reports are intended solely for academic and research purposes and are based on secondary data drawn from the index cards. The primary and final data is contained in statutory forms maintained by the respective Returning Officers.
Previously, this information was manually recorded at the constituency level in physical index cards using various statutory forms. These cards were later used for data entry into the online system to generate statistical reports. This manual, multi-layered process was time-intensive and often caused delays in data availability and dissemination.
