The Election Commission of India has directed that postal ballots be counted before the final rounds of EVM votes, marking its 30th major reform in the past six months.The move announced in a Press Information Bureau (PIB) notification on Thursday, September 25, is aimed at reducing delays and ensuring uniformity in the counting process.

Postal ballots take precedence

Under the revised rules, the penultimate round of EVM and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) counting will begin only after the postal ballot count has been completed at the centre concerned.

Postal ballot counting starts at 8 am on the day of results, followed by EVM counting at 8.30 am. Until now, EVM rounds could technically get ahead of postal ballots. While postal votes usually finish earlier, the Commission s

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