A change in the system of counting ballots this year means that all constituencies have to progress from one round of counting to the next in tandem
The nail-biting finale to the Lok Sabha elections may go on for longer than usual this year, with the Election Commission setting up a new, and somewhat more lengthy system for counting votes, in a bid to ensure accuracy.
Elections 2014: On eve of counting day, party offices tell the story
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Security guards on high alert at a counting centre in Mira-Bhayandar, as Election Commission officials await for the big day. The counting of votes will commence from 8 am today. Pics/Sameer Markande
The new system was discussed at a session held for counting agents yesterday, where they were told that the counting would take longer than usual this year. In the past, one round of counting would be followed by another in almost immediate succession. This time round, however, things will be done differently.
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A counting centre being readied in Vikhroli
A fresh round of counting will only begin when the preceding round has been completed in all the six assembly constituencies, the numbers have been entered into computers, and the returning officer has announced the results of the round in question.
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Workers neatly stack trunks containing EVMs at another centre in Kalyan
Only once this ritual is complete can counting agents bring in the other EVM machines and move on to the next round.
This means that if the first round of counting is completed in one constituency, it will have to wait till counting in all the six constituencies is completed before moving on to the next round. There are 19 rounds of counting in every assembly constituency, and the number may increase to 20 or 21.
Every Parliamentary constituency has six assembly constituencies. A counting agent who was present for the meeting said, “The returning officer has told all the counting officers that they will have to stay longer than usual, to ensure that there is no mistake in the counting. This would delay the results by one to two hours.”
Confirming this, Madhukar Ardaad, returning officer of North Central Mumbai, said, “Yes, only after the tallying of the votes of one round is done, the micro-observers approve the results and the announcement is done, will the second round start. We don’t think it would delay us a lot.”
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