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From Lok Sabha Elections to by-polls: EC issues guidelines for vote counting on June 4
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Results: The Election Commission of India issued instructions for counting votes from EVMs, VVPATs, and postal ballots ahead of the results announcement on June 4.
The Election Commission of India released a comprehensive set of guidelines for poll officials to follow on June 4, when the votes will be counted, and the results of Lok Sabha elections, bye-elections, and State Legislative Assemblies will be declared.
District Election Officers, Returning Officers (RO), and Observers must fully comply with existing guidelines for counting arrangements in and around Counting Centers before the scheduled start of vote counting, the guidelines read as quoted by newswire ANI.
Counting votes for a constituency will not begin if there are any pending ECI orders regarding an adjourned poll at any polling station(s). However, if a re-poll at any polling station(s) is taking place on the counting day, the process for the constituency can commence. In this scenario, the penultimate round of counting should only begin after the re-polled EVMs and VVPATs from such polling stations are securely escorted to the counting hall.
The RO should read aloud the provisions of Section 128 of the Representation of the People Act 1951 and Rule 54 of Conduct of Election Rules 1961 to maintain the secrecy of the vote. Under Rule 60 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, counting shall be continuous without any interval, it said.
“No unauthorized person should be present in the counting hall. Under Rule 53(4), the RO has the authority to direct anybody to go out of the Counting Center, if anyone fails to obey the lawful directions of the returning officer,” the poll body added.
As per Rule 54A of the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, the instructions for counting postal ballots specify that the counting process must begin at the Returning Officer's (RO) table. Only those postal ballot papers received by the RO before the scheduled start time for counting will be considered for counting.
The Returning Officer shall furnish the latest account of the total number of postal ballot papers to the Observer at the commencement of counting. He/She shall explain and demonstrate the requirements of a valid declaration to all the counting supervisors, assistants and micro-observers before the envelopes of the postal ballot papers are distributed to each of the counting tables and actual scrutiny of the declaration by the counting supervisor.
“The RO shall ensure that there is no inordinate delay in scrutinizing the declarations by the AROs and the counting supervisors. It said that all cases of postal ballot rejection on account of defects in Declaration in Form-13A should be re-verified by the Returning Officer before they are actually put in the rejected category,” the instructions read.
Voting for the 543-member Lok Sabha was conducted concurrently with the Assembly elections in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. The extensive voting process, which spanned seven phases, concluded on Saturday. The counting of votes is set for June 4.
(With ANI inputs)
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Business NewsElectionsFrom Lok Sabha Elections to by-polls: EC issues guidelines for vote counting on June 4
First Published:2 Jun 2024, 07:35 AM IST
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