New Delhi: After the final phase of voting on June 1, the counting of votes will begin at 8 am on June 4 and continue till the counting of votes polled across 543 constituencies is completed by the Election Commission.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) manages the election process, employing Electronic Voting Machines. Furthermore, in a first for the general elections 2024, the ECI has introduced a voting facility enabling senior citizens aged 85 and above, as well as persons with disabilities meeting a 40 per cent benchmark, to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes through postal ballot.
A structured framework for the vote-counting process has been developed in accordance with election regulations. Based on these regulations, the Election Commission has compiled a dedicated handbook for officials engaged in the vote-counting process.
Rules of counting
According to the handbook issued by the Election Commission for election purposes of the counting of votes is governed by Rule 66A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, as inserted by the Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules, 1992.
Under Rule 66A, the provisions of rules 50 to 54 pertaining to the timing and location of vote counting, the appointment and dismissal of counting agents, access to the counting venue and the preservation of voting confidentiality are applied, mirroring their application in constituencies utilising the traditional system of ballot papers and ballot boxes. Furthermore, Rule 54A, which addresses the counting of postal ballot papers, is also extended to constituencies utilising voting machines, given the similarity in the postal voting procedure.
Rule 66A introduces three new rules: Rules 55C, 56C, and 57C. These rules cover the scrutiny and examination of voting machines before counting, the actual vote counting process recorded in the voting machines and the sealing of voting machines following the counting procedure.
The handbook also clarifies that to eliminate any uncertainty or ambiguity, the aforementioned amendment rules specify that rules 60 to 66 (which cover continuous counting, recommencement of counting after a fresh poll, recount of votes, declaration of election results, counting at multiple locations and granting of certificates of election to successful candidates) shall also apply to voting by voting machines. Additionally, any reference in those rules to a "ballot paper" shall be interpreted as including a reference to the voting machine.
Counting process
According to the rules, the counting of votes is the responsibility of the Returning Officer. The Returning Officer is an official appointed by the ECI in consultation with the state government to oversee each constituency. Assistant Returning Officers are also legally authorised to oversee the counting process. If the Returning Officer has been assigned multiple Parliamentary or Assembly constituencies, their Assistant Returning Officers can conduct the counting of votes for individual Assembly segments separately.
In accordance with Rule 51 of the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, the Returning Officer must inform each contesting candidate or their Election Agent in writing, at least one week before the polling date, of the date, time, and location for counting of votes, including any special arrangements for counting tables.
As per the ECI’s Handbook, the counting of votes will take place at Counting Centres, which may comprise one or more Counting Halls. Ideally, these centres should be located at District headquarters, although in exceptional cases, they may be situated at Sub-Division headquarters.
For Lok Sabha elections, it is preferable for all Assembly segments (ASs) within a Parliamentary constituency (PC) to be counted at a single location. However, if circumstances such as large areas, long distances, difficult terrain, space limitations, or logistical challenges arise, it is permissible for Assembly segments to be counted separately, especially if the Parliamentary constituency spans multiple districts. Each Counting Centre and Counting Hall will be assigned a unique identity number.
In general, each Counting Hall should have between 7 and 14 counting tables for the Control Unit (CU) of the EVM, along with an additional table, designated for counting postal ballots. Any deviation from this prescribed number of tables requires specific approval from the Commission via the Chief Electoral Officer, who must address this aspect explicitly in the report or recommendation. Also, each hall should be allocated for counting votes from only one Assembly constituency or Assembly segment at any given time.
For the simultaneous counting of votes in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, different scenarios regarding the roles of the Returning Officer of the Assembly constituency (AC) and the Assistant Returning Officer of the Assembly segment (AS) of the Parliament constituency (PC) are considered:
a) If separate Counting Halls for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly are available, they can be utilised for both the AC and AS counting. In this case, the Returning Officers for the AC/AS and Assistant Returning Officers may conduct the counting for the Assembly Segment, while the Assistant Returning Officer of the AC may handle the Assembly constituency counting.
b) In the absence of separate halls, half of the counting tables in a single hall are designated for the PC and half for the AC. Counting agents sit accordingly to represent candidates for both the PC and AC. As Strong Rooms for the PC and AC are separate, a distinct path must be designated for transporting Control Units, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) and other materials. The hall should be divided into two partitions with wire mesh.
In places like Odisha where both Parliamentary and Assembly elections are happening at the same time, they split the counting area. The first seven tables are for tallying Assembly election votes, and the others are for the Parliamentary seats.
Counting tables are placed against a barricade of woodblock and wire mesh, behind which Counting Agents sit or stand. They're prevented from physically accessing the CU/VVPAT or Postal Ballots, but must have a clear view. Adequate signage guides counting staff, candidates, Counting Agents and media personnel.
Each Counting Hall has a large blackboard, whiteboard, or TV displaying candidates’ names and round numbers. Round results are written/displayed after observer certification, followed by the Returning Officer's declaration. Control Units for the next round are only brought from the Strong Room after this.
Each counting table, including those for Postal Ballots, has one Micro Observer (not below group ‘C’ officials). The Observer trains the Micro Observer, who ensures counting process integrity.
