New Delhi : Streamline vote counting process is the focus of a new directive the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued on Thursday, its 30th initiative in six months. The move aims to improve the handling of postal ballots.
The press note states that the directive reduces delays and ensures clarity and uniformity during counting.
The ECI issued this directive after noting a rise in postal ballots, driven by initiatives such as home voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and older voters above 85 years.
Officials usually count postal ballots before votes from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The new measure now formalizes this sequence.
Under the directive, “The penultimate (second last) round of EVM/VVPATs counting shall be taken up only after the counting of Postal Ballot Papers is completed, at the counting centre, where postal ballot counting is being done,” the ECI stated.
The poll panel instructed Returning Officers (ROs) to arrange sufficient tables and counting staff when postal ballots are large so that counting proceeds without delays.
The press note emphasizes this step as crucial to further streamline vote counting.
This initiative forms part of broader electoral reforms the ECI implemented over the past six months.
The 29 previous measures improved voter convenience, strengthened electoral systems, and expanded technology use.
These initiatives included mobile deposit facilities for voters, delisting 808 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs), limiting polling stations to 1,200 electors to reduce crowding, issuing Standard Photo ID Cards to BLOs, holding 4,719 all-party meetings nationwide, and launching the ECINET digital platform.
The new postal ballot directive reinforces the ECI’s commitment to improving electoral efficiency and transparency. It ensures voters trust the counting process and enables smoother elections across the country.
–IANS
