Penultimate round of EVM counting to take place after postal ballots are counted: EC

The Election Commission has announced that to ensure uniformity and clarity in counting process, 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.

“Although counting of postal ballots generally gets completed before the counting of EVMs, in order to ensure uniformity and utmost clarity in the counting process, the Commission has taken the aforementioned decision,” the poll body said in a statement on Thursday.

The Commission has also directed that in cases where there are a large number of postal ballots, the ROs have to ensure that sufficient number of tables and counting staff are in place, so that there is no delay and the counting process is further streamlined.

The process of counting of votes has two major parts: Counting of postal ballots/Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots (ETPBs) and counting through EVMs.

On the day of counting, postal ballot counting starts at 8 am and EVM counting at 8.30 am.

As per the earlier instructions, EVM counting could theoretically go on irrespective of the stage of postal ballot counting and chances of it getting completed before the completion of postal ballot counting cannot be ruled out, the Election Commission said.