AP: CEC Conducts Training Program For Election Officials

Vijayawada: The Election Commission of India (ECI) organised a training and orientation programme for District Election Officers and Returning Officers and other election officials on Friday morning.

The program was conducted to create awareness about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) and familiarise them with the counting process. Returning Officers from 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies and election observers from 13 districts participated in the training session. Election Commission of India (ECI) Director (EVM) Nikhil Kumar conducted the training where he explained the process of how counting is done and the precautions to be taken while counting is going on.

The Election Commission (EC) officials have given clear directions about how the counting is done. The arrangements of the tables, video coverage during the counting sessions and other aspects of the counting exercise were clearly stated by the EC.

ECI Director (EVM) Nikhil Kumar explained that a three -tier security would be arranged on the day of counting. He also said that VVPAT slips would be segregated first after which the counting process would commence. He also said that the officials should first make bundles of 25 VVPAT slips first and then get to count the votes.

Nikhil Kumar said that the elections results would be declared only after a thorough verification and confirmation of the votes counted by the Returning Officers.

Counting of VVPAT, the counting of postal ballots, votes in the EVMs & the scanning of Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots System (ETPBS), is said to increase the counting duration and the results are expected by May 24.

The final phase of election in India gets over on May 19 and the counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Also Read: AP CEC Clarifies  About VVPAT Counting Process