The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced its 30th major initiative in the past six months, introducing a new directive to further streamline the counting of postal ballots in elections.
The move comes amid a significant increase in the number of postal ballots following the Commission’s recent initiatives to enable home voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and senior citizens aged 85 and above.
As per the new directive, the penultimate (second-last) round of counting of EVM/VVPAT votes will now begin only after the counting of postal ballot papers has been fully completed at counting centres where postal ballots are being counted.
The ECI stated that this step is aimed at ensuring uniformity, reducing delays, and enhancing transparency in the counting process. It also instructed Returning Officers (ROs) to deploy adequate counting tables and staff, particularly in constituencies with a high number of postal ballots, to avoid any delay.
Postal ballot counting starts at 8:00 AM on counting day, followed by EVM counting at 8:30 AM. Although postal ballot counting is usually completed before EVM counting, the new measure formally integrates the process to avoid discrepancies and ensure clarity.
This initiative is the latest in a series of electoral reforms introduced by the ECI to strengthen India’s electoral process. Over the past six months, the Commission has implemented 29 key measures including:
* Launch of ECINET, a one-stop digital platform consolidating 40+ apps for voters and stakeholders.
* 100% webcasting at polling stations to enhance transparency.
* Delisting of 808 unrecognised political parties failing to meet mandatory criteria.
* Reduction of electors per polling station to 1,200 to minimise crowding.
* Issuance of Standard Photo ID Cards to BLOs and enhanced training for polling personnel.
* Special drives to clean up electoral rolls, link death registration data, and eliminate duplicate EPIC numbers.