Training for Counting Supervisors and Counting Assistants of South Sikkim

NAMCHI, 14 May [IPR]: The second round descriptive training on Postal Ballot and EVM Counting for the Counting Supervisors and Counting Assistants of South District was held in District Conference Hall, Namchi today. The meeting was conducted by ADC (Dev.) Namchi, Benu Gurung and was chaired by ADM South, Kapil Meena. Deputy Secretary (Elections), Bishal Mukhia welcomed the gathering.  
ADC (Dev) Namchi initiated the training through a Power Point Presentation whereby she informed the trainees about the technical know-how of the Counting procedure for EVM and Postal ballot. Emphasizing the need for Counting Supervisors and Counting Assistants to be meticulous, Mrs Gurung asked them to assume their roles and responsibilities in counting the Postal Ballot and EVM votes in an efficient and organized manner.
There shall be 2 AROs in-charge of the two Postal Ballot tables and one additional Micro Observer on each Postal Ballot table. She informed the trainees that any Postal Ballot received before the hours fixed for commencement of counting will be brought to the notice of the Returning Officer after which it will be counted. However Postal Ballots can be received till 8 a.m. on 16 May, 2014; Postal Ballots received after the prescribed time will be rejected.
She further clarified the conditions and criteria that Postal Ballot votes will have to fulfill to be considered valid. Next on the EVM Counting, Mrs. Gurung clarified that the EVM machines will be distributed in a sequential manner as per the constituency. She added that it is crucial for the Counting Supervisors and Counting Assistants to check and verify the Serial Nos and declaration stated in Form 13 A.
Later, Kapil Meena detailed out the Do’s and Don’ts of the Postal ballot paper and EVM Counting and clarified the doubts raised by the counting teams during the course of the training. Also present in the meeting were SDM (HQ) Samdup Bhutia and Assistant Collector, Raghul.
The Counting Officials were shown the Counting procedure to be carried out by them on the Electronic Voting Machine by ADC (Dev) after which the trainees performed a hands-on session on training EVMs to familiarize themselves with the counting procedure.
The Postal Ballots of other Districts of Sikkim received at South District by RO South were dispatched off to Gangtok today morning at 9 am in the presence of the RO South, SP South, SDM Jorethang/Nodal Officer Postal Ballot and various Candidates & their Representatives. Further, a training session of all micro-observers deputed for counting is scheduled on 15 May, 2014 under the guidance of General Observer of South district, Dr. R. Selvaraj.
Further, RO South, Prabhakar Verma informed that the counting process shall start at 8 a.m. sharp on 16 May 2014 and requested the Candidates, their Election Agent and the Counting Agents to be present on time. All concerned entering the Counting Hall are requested to deposit their mobile phones outside the hall and cooperate in the frisking process to be done at the Counting premises.