The counting of votes for the assembly elections of five states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram – will take place on Sunday, December 3. The elections took place between November 7 and 30, with Chhattisgarh held in two phases. . As the election process draws to a close, here's everything you need to know about what to expect when the votes are counted on Sunday.
What are EVMs?
Electronic voting machines, commonly known as EVMs, are used to cast and count votes electronically. An EVM consists of two units, a control unit and a voting unit, connected by a cable. The control unit is kept with the chairman or polling station, while the voting unit is kept in the polling booth so that voters can cast their votes. This allows the polling station to verify the voter's identity.
Once the polling station has verified the voter's identity, it presses the 'vote' button that allows the voter to cast his vote. A list of names of candidates and their respective parties will appear, and the voter can choose the candidate he prefers.
What are VVPATs?
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) or Verifiable Paper Record (VPR) are designed to ensure voters can verify that their ballot has been cast, and serve as an independent verification system. It allows voters to confirm their vote, detect potential fraud or glitches and enable results audits.
VVPATs contain the candidate's name and party/individual symbol. VVPATs are used alongside EVMs during elections and verify that a vote goes to the correct candidate, providing a second line of verification if tampering occurs. After a voter selects a candidate on the EVM, VVPAT prints a slip with the candidate's details so that the voter can verify it before putting it in a sealed box.
The VVPAT system is placed in a glass case for easy voter visibility, with the slip briefly displayed before being cut and placed in storage, with access limited to polling station officials.
What are the strong rooms?
At the end of voting, the EVMs and VVPATs are kept in designated rooms, which are sealed and double locked. These rooms are known as “strong rooms”. This process is conducted in the presence of the Election Commission of India observers and the candidates.
The rooms are further secured with CCTV cameras in the vault and central armed police units patrol outside the room 24 hours a day. Candidates also have the option of keeping watch themselves or sending agents themselves.
What happens on counting day?
On the day of counting of votes, EVMs will be retrieved from the vault in the presence of returning officers and special observers of the Election Commission, who will be filmed throughout the period. Control units of EVMs are taken to counting tables under CCTV surveillance, where their unique ID and signed seal are verified before displaying the votes secured by each candidate.
A “draw of lots” is conducted to randomly select a VVPAT machine for counting paper slips, ensuring transparency. In case of discrepancies between VVPAT and EVM numbers, the paper slips will be re-counted and if any discrepancies remain, the VVPAT numbers will take precedence and the result sheets will be adjusted accordingly. Some opposition parties may advocate counting all VVPAT machines in case of discrepancies.
How many parliamentary seats does Madhya Pradesh have?
There are 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh. Within this, 35 seats have been reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and 47 seats for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
A party must secure 116 seats to form a government in the state.
How many Assembly seats does Telangana have?
There are 119 Assembly seats in Telangana. Of these, 19 seats are reserved for SCs and 12 for STs.
A party must secure 60 seats to form a government in the state.
How many Assembly seats does Mizoram have?
There are 40 Assembly seats in Mizoram. A party must secure 21 seats to form a government in the state.
How many Assembly seats does Chhattisgarh have?
There are 90 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SCs and 29 for STs.
A party must secure 46 seats to form a government in the state.
How many assembly seats does Rajasthan have?
There are 200 Assembly seats in Rajasthan. 59 seats are reserved constituencies, of which 34 are for SCs and 25 are for STs.
A party must secure 101 seats to form a government in the state.
What is NOTA and when was it introduced?
None of the above or NOTA is an option provided to voters to reject all candidates contesting the elections. On September 27, 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission to provide a button for NOTA as every Indian voter had the right to officially register a rejection vote for all candidates during an election.
This option appears in the last panel of EVMs.