Nearly 24,000 of over 2 lakh postal ballots cast in Bihar polls rejected

Nearly 24,000 of the over two lakh postal ballots were rejected when votes of the Bihar assembly elections were counted, Election Commission data shows.

Of the 5.02 crore total votes polled, EVM and postal ballot included, 4.93 crore were found valid and 9.34 lakh were invalid. Of the total 2.01 lakh postal votes cast, 23,918 were rejected, according to the poll panel.

The EC underlined that the figure of total valid votes polled -- 4.93 crore—was derived after removing NOTA votes.

Separately, the poll authority said its count is “100 per cent accurate”.

In a social media post, the EC said a “viral claim” ignored the over 1.77 lakh postal votes which claimed a “fake mismatch”. Once postal votes are included, “the numbers match perfectly”, the poll body said.

The percentage of rejected postal votes over total postal votes was 11.87 per cent.

None of the Above (NOTA) votes stood at 9.10 lakh, including those cast on EVMs and sent through postal ballots. It comes to 1.81 per cent.

Senior citizens (above 85 years of age), persons with disability flagged in the electoral roll database, and persons employed in essential services are entitled to postal ballots.

The overall voter turnout stood at 67.25 per cent in the two-phased election held earlier this month. The turnout is the highest ever recorded in the state, where women voters outnumbered men in turning up at the nearly 91,000 polling stations.