Cong seeks immediate steps to make counting transparent

Saturday, 10/05/2014

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=102535&boxid=57719&uid=&dat=2014-05-10

Chandigarh : The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on Friday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take certain immediate steps, including time bound declaration of results immediately after counting to make the counting transparent and check the possibility of any irregularity at the constituency level.

A demand to this effect was raised by a delegation, led by the PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, which called on the Chief Election Commissioner of India V S Sampath and submitted a three page memorandum making some concrete suggestions. Bajwa was accompanied by Surjit Singh Siwaich, Ranjit Singh Bath and Pradeep Virk.

The CEC said the demands were genuine and justified and that the Commission would look into the matter, Bajwa claimed after the meeting.The delegation demanded that after signing of Form 17C by the returning officer, a copy of the same be supplied to the candidate, his election agent or counting agent after each round of counting.

Further, after each round of counting, Part II of Form 17C is filled in by the counting supervisor noting separately the votes polled by each candidate. He signs it and also gets it signed by the candidate or the election agent or the counting agent, as the case may be, present at the counting table. Thereafter, the same is submitted to the returning officer who countersigns it. However, the copy is not handed over to the candidates or their agents.

The delegation said regarding entries in Form 20, it is provided that the same would be announced so that the candidates and their agents might take note of the results of counting in respect of each polling station. Alternatively, the entries can be written on the black board.

The delegation demanded that the copies of Form 20 duly signed by all be supplied to the candidate or his agent, after each round of counting. The agents noting down the votes polled or writing on the blackboard was an old practice and it should be changed by providing photo copies with all the details filled in to the agents.

Referring to the declaration of results after counting, the delegation pointed out that in several cases, it was observed that the returning officers delayed the declaration of results after counting deliberately and allegations of mischief had also been leveled.

In order to avoid such allegations and make the process more transparent, strict instructions should be given to the counting officers to declare the results in a time bound manner.