Reversing its 2019 decision to de-link the counting of postal ballots and votes polled on EVMs, the Election Commission on Thursday changed the counting process to ensure that the EVM tally is only completed after all the postal ballots are counted.
“The penultimate (second last) round of EVM/VVPATs counting shall not be taken up until the counting of postal ballot papers is completed at the counting centre,” the EC said in instructions issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories. It said the decision was taken “in order to further streamline the counting process and to provide necessary clarity to the counting of postal ballot”.
In case of a Parliamentary constituency, if votes are counted Assembly segment-wise at multiple counting centres, the penultimate round of EVM/VVPAT counting need not be stopped at all counting centres until the postal ballots are counted, it said. It would only be halted in centres where the postal ballot counting was still underway, it said.
Sources said the decision was taken in keeping with the demand raised by political parties. Opposition parties have been demanding this change, expressing concern that a close election could be called based on the number of postal ballots being rejected or held valid at the last minute.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the INDIA bloc had asked the EC to rescind its 2019 directive and go back to withholding the penultimate round of EVM counting until all the postal ballots were counted. They had argued that the EC’s 2019 directions went against Rule 54A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, that states: “The returning officer shall first deal with the postal ballot papers in the manner hereinafter provided.” But the then Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, had rejected the demand, saying the process could not be changed midway through an election.
The DMK raised the issue again as recently as on July 17, during a meeting with the poll panel.
Until 2019, the EC had followed the process of taking up the penultimate round of counting EVM votes only after all the postal ballots were counted. On May 18, 2019, the EC changed the procedure, citing the increase in the number of postal ballots.
“The instruction that the penultimate round of EVM counting should be taken up only after completion of postal ballot counting is withdrawn. Accordingly, the EVM counting can go on irrespective of the stage of postal ballot counting. Once the EVM counting is completed, the VVPAT slips counting can start as per the prescribed procedure for counting VVPAT slips,” the 2019 instructions said.
At the time, the EC had cited the increase in postal ballots due to the introduction of the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS), in which the postal ballots are sent to service voters electronically instead of by post. The filled ballots, however, are still returned via post. The EC had said that the mandatory requirement of reading QR codes for the ETPBS means more time is taken for counting postal ballots.
On Thursday, the EC said it was changing the process to “ensure uniformity and utmost clarity”. “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… 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 centre where postal ballot counting is being done,” it said in a statement. Counting of postal ballot starts at 8 am, while EVM counting starts at 8.30 am, it said.
In 2020, the EC had extended the facility of voting through postal ballot to senior citizens above 80 years and persons with disabilities.