Election Vote Counting 2019 - How would it Happen

Advisory for 23rd May.

Counting for elections will start at 8 am.

The total EVMs will be divided into a number and in each round these many EVMs of the Loksabha constituency will be opened and counted against each candidate.

Smaller constituency like Lakshadweep ( 50k voters) may have around 8 to 10 rounds of counting. Bigger constituency like Bangalore North ( 26lakh voters) may have over 30 rounds of counting.

Also there are postal ballots which are counted in  parallel.

Counting time for each EVM depends on number of candidates contesting in that constituency.  More the candidates, more the time.

After each round, the total votes are announced . This is usually picked up by media and highlighted as LEAD. LEAD is not the result

8:30 am : Usually first leads come.
9:30 am : 3 to 4 rounds of counting would be over.

10:00 am : By this time, all most all constituency would have completed 3 rounds and smaller constituencies might have finished counting.

NEVER CELEBRATE OR GET DISAPPOINTED AT THIS TIME.

MEDIA WILL HYPE LEAD AS VICTORY.

There are many rounds to go and situation can change.

10:30 to 12:30 - More rounds of counting. If lead is above a lakh then he/she is likely to win.

Around 1pm : Around 400 constituencies would have completed counting of EVMs and our Media will jump to congratulate the winners etc. Party workers will start distributing sweets.

HOLD ON...
VVPAT PAPER VOTES HAS TO BE TALLIED.

This is new in this election, while u voted, there was a vvpat machine, which records the vote in paper.

Now EVM result has to tally with paper result.

So EVM of random 5 booths of an assembly must be picked and votes of paper and EVM must be matched.

Loksabha constituency of Bangalore North has 8 assembly segments under it, so  8×5=40 EVM Along with vvpat paper votes must be TALLIED.

In Pondicheery, 1 LS constituency has 40 assembly segments. So there it has to be 40X5 =200 EVMs verified.

This verification is a manual process and would take no less than 2 to 4 hours.

So FINAL RESULT will come only by 4pm onwards. Large constituency and more candidates would mean much larger time.

What happens if VVPAT and EVM does not match??? WE don't have an answer. The Returning officer can withhold the result.

So final tally will be known only by night.

DISCLAIMER : This information has been collected from various sources. May require reverification