The Ranchi District Administration on Saturday held a meeting with the counting agents of different political parties to inform them about the rules to be followed on the day of the counting for the 17th General Elections.

The counting for the Lok Sabha polls will be held across the 545 parliamentary constituencies in the country, including Ranchi, on May 23.

“We had a meeting with the counting agents of various political parties today (Saturday) and informed them about the various rules that need to be followed on the day of the counting,” said Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray.

The strong room for the counting on May 23 will open at 6 am, and the counting agents have been asked not to carry smart phones in the strong room. Counting agents are usually either appointed by a political party or a candidate to keep an eye on the counting process in different constituencies. As the candidate or his election agent cannot be physically present at all the tables where the counting is done, the counting agents are present at all the counting areas to look after his candidate or party’s interest, says the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The ECI has also made it clear in its latest Handbook for Counting Agents, released in February 2019 that every such agent must be aware of the various technicalities of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in order to successfully and effectively undertake his responsibilities.

Prior to the elections, almost all the political parties held training sessions for the counting agents to ensure that they are able to point out at any anomaly during the counting process.