NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday revised the rules relating to counting of postal ballots, making it mandatory for all postal ballot papers to be counted before the penultimate round of EVM/VVPATs counting is taken up.This restores the arrangement prior to May 2019, when the EC had last changed the counting guidelines to allow EVM counting to proceed regardless of the postal ballot counting stage. The 2019 change did not rule out chances of EVM counting being completed before completion of postal ballot counting.The opposition INDIA bloc had, during the 2024 general elections, objected to the 2019 rule change and demanded a return to the old system, citing cases where the margin of victory was less than the postal ballots polled. Complaining that the result in a close election may depend on the number of postal ballots getting rejected or held valid, the bloc had asked the EC to issue directions in consonance with Rule 54A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, which says “the returning officer shall first deal with the postal ballot papers…”.As per EC instructions issued on Thursday, the rule relating to the start of counting of postal ballots 30 minutes before EVM counting remains unchanged. Announcing its 30th reform in the past six months to streamline and improve the electoral process, the EC said the postal counting guidelines were being revised in view of the substantial increase in postal ballots, thanks to the facility being extended to persons with disabilities (PwD voters) and senior citizens aged over 85 years.“Although, counting of postal ballots generally gets completed before counting of EVMs, in order to ensure uniformity and utmost clarity in the counting process, the Commission has decided that, henceforth, 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 center,” EC said in a statement.The Commission further directed that in cases where there are a large number of postal ballots, the returning officers shall ensure that sufficient number of tables and counting staff are in place so there is no delay and the counting process is further streamlined.
