As the D-Day for the candidates of the Lok Sabha elections is just a week away, the Election Commission has started issuing instructions for the counting scheduled for May 16. The latest one is a ban on people with security cover from being appointed as counting agents of the candidates.
According to the EC’s order, sent to the Chief Electoral Officers on Thursday, there is no prohibition on councillors, sarpanchs, ward members and other local body heads from being appointed as counting agents, provided they do not have any security cover from the State or Central governments.
Permission to work as counting agents will not be given even if they are ready to surrender their security cover. Their security could not be put to jeopardy by allowing them to enter the hall without protection.
A government servant could not act as a counting agent (Section 134 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951). If he so acts, he is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with a fine, or both.
The EC made it clear that the counting of votes in the EVMs should commence within 30 minutes of the beginning of the counting of postal ballots. It is not applicable if there is no counting of postal ballots in a particular centre.
No one should carry mobile phones (except election observers) inside the counting centres. However, the Returning Officers and the Assistant Returning Officers could carry them but they should be in silent mode.
It said the penultimate round of counting in the EVMs should not commence till the counting of postal ballot was completed in all respects.
