The DMK on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of India to give a clear direction to all returning officers (ROs) to follow a uniform procedure throughout the State in counting postal ballots.
In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer, DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi also requested a direction to all ROs to provide one counting table for every 500 postal ballots and to declare the results of postal ballots as soon as their counting is over and entered in form 20, without any delay, and without waiting for the completion of the counting of EVMs.
He also recalled the party’s earlier request for directing all ROs to count postal ballots first and declare the results, and only then count the penultimate round of the EVM machines, in compliance with directions in the handbook for returning officers, polling agents and candidates. “However, we came to understand that the ECI has directed for the withdrawal of such direction.”
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He said the ROs were adopting various methods for the counting of postal ballots. “This is not good for the conduct of free and fair elections,” he added.