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Errors in poll data despite computerisation

Roy Mathew

Mistakes are occurring for want of proper validation of data

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Errors in polling data continue to occur despite computerisation and improved connectivity with the districts. In fact, there are indications that more serious errors are occurring for want of proper validation of data.

In the past also, errors used to occur in the election data released by the State Election Department and the State Public Relations Department. Often, the Public Relations Department used to do a better job of it. Yet, total of votes credited to each candidate and the total valid votes polled some times failed to tally. The situation worsened in 2001.

In the Statistical Report on the General Elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly 2001 published by the Election Department in 2003, figures pertaining to nearly 25 constituencies do not tally.

In some cases, the errors are serious. In the case of Sreekrishnapuram constituency, for instance, the margin of victory was only 21 in 2001. However, the difference between the votes polled and total of votes secured by each candidate was of 100 votes.

The data on the Election Commission's Website too was wrong and at variance with that in the statistical report.

The errors multiplied when the Department of Information and Public Relations came out with election reportage from 1951 onwards this month.

In this compilation, not only the figures but also the constituencies of candidates got altered. According to it, Oommen Chandy won from Poonjar constituency in 1987 instead of Puthuppally. There were several errors with respect to constituency numbers, number of candidates and the like.

In 1996, all the results had been tallied using computers. So, there was no difference between the totals of votes credited to each candidate and the votes polled.

However, differences were often accounted as missing votes to tally the totals. There were also errors in the summary of performance of political parties.

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