Apart from an ARO, one counting supervisor and two counting assistants will also be deployed on every table for counting of postal ballots for the 29 lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh on May 16. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer has issued directives to the returning officers and district election officers regarding counting of votes for the lok Sabha elections and the Vidisha Vidhan Sabha by-election.
As per the directives, returning officers and district election officers will inform the supervisor about total postal ballots received through facilitation centres and by post. The commission has said that not more than 500 postal ballots should be counted on one table. Tables should be placed in the counting hall as per space. Their number should not be more than four. According to the directives, the counting supervisor deployed on every table for counting of postal ballots with ARO must be a gazetted officer. The staff selected for counting will be imparted training for this.
Directives have also been given to train counting supervisors, counting assistants and micro observers. A micro observer must be deployed at every counting table for postal ballots, who will be an officer of the Central Government or Central public sector undertaking. The returning officer will have to sign the rejected postal ballots sent with declaration under form 13-A. Directives have also been given not to start EVM vote counting before counting of postal ballots concludes. Every candidate will be allowed to appoint one candidate on every counting table during counting of postal ballots.
The Election Commission has issued directives that if additional tables have to be placed for expediting counting due to large number of postal ballots then its prior information will have to be given to the candidates so that they can appoint additional counting agents. The commission has said that the supervisor will closely watch the counting of postal ballots as per declaration made in form 13-A. The districts have also been directed to get printed adequate quantity of Part-II of Form 17-C.