The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced its 30th major initiative in the past six months, introducing a new directive to further streamline the counting of postal ballots in elections.

The move comes amid a significant increase in the number of postal ballots following the Commission’s recent initiatives to enable home voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and senior citizens aged 85 and above.

As per the new directive, the penultimate (second-last) round of counting of EVM/VVPAT votes will now begin only after the counting of postal ballot papers has been fully completed at counting centres where postal ballots are being counted.

The ECI stated that this step is aimed at ensuring uniformity, reducing delays, and enhancing transparency in the counting process.

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