The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed to organize an orientation/briefing of all contesting candidates, their election agents and counting agents at district headquarters by the Returning Officer of the concerned Parliamentary Constituency by involving State Level Master Trainer (SLMT).
Disclosing this here today, Mr. Raminder Singh, Additional CEO, Punjab said that according to the communiqué received from ECI, the ROs have been directed that the candidates, their election agents and counting agents should be briefed about all the legal provisions, transparency measures and logistic arrangements including appointment and revocation of counting agents, discipline and decorum at counting centres, co-operation with security personnel deployed at the counting centres, noting down of the counting trends including providing photocopies of round wise trends noted by counting staff in Part-2 of the Form 17 C, putting their signature on the official copy, hassle free movement of these photocopies, putting of their seals along with seal of Returning Officer and ECI secret seal after counting was over, providing form 21 C, Form 21 E and Form 22 and obtaining of acknowledgement of Form 22 etc.
He said that the ECI has also asked the CEO to obtain necessary report of conduct of orientation/briefing from the Returning Officer concerned mentioning the venue, date, duration of training, name and designation of trainer including that of RO immediately after conclusion of training.The Additional CEO further said that the ECI has also instructions regarding counting. According to the ECI instructions after countersigning of Part-2 of the form 17 C by the RO, a copy of the same duly signed by the RO should be supplied to the candidate/election agent/counting agent after each round of counting. Similarly, the copies of Form 20 duly signed by the RO should be supplied to the candidate/election agent/counting agent. He informed that as per the instructions, in accordance with Section 66 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, the RO should declare the result of counting as soon as counting was over and he/she was fully satisfied with all legalities concerned. Besides this, copies of all video-graphy and CCTV recordings of the entire counting process may be supplied to each candidate/election agent/counting agent on the same day i.e. declaration of result on demand and payment of requisite costs in this regard, the Additional CEO added.