New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced comprehensive arrangements for the counting of votes in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, scheduled for Friday November 14, marking a historic milestone with zero repolls and record voter participation.

For the counting day, elaborate arrangements have been put in place across all 243 Assembly constituencies.

Counting will be conducted under the supervision of 243 Returning Officers and an equal number of Counting Observers.

“As many as 4,372 counting tables staffed with one counting supervisor, counting assistant and micro-observer at each table have been set up. More than 18,000 Counting Agents appointed by the candidates will also oversee the counting process,” the ECI said in its press note on Thursday.

The counting process will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, starting with postal ballots, followed by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from 8:30 a.m. onwards.

Each EVM’s control unit will be verified for seal integrity and matched with Form 17C records. In case of any discrepancies, VVPAT slips will be counted.

“The number of votes recorded in EVMs is cross-verified with entries in Form 17C. In case of any mismatch, VVPAT slips from that polling station are to be counted mandatorily,” the ECI said.

“After completion of EVM counting, a random selection of five polling stations per constituency is made for VVPAT verification. The slips are matched with EVM results in the presence of candidates and their counting agents,” it added.

With a voter turnout of 67.13 per cent, the highest since 1951, the Commission said that no repoll was requested by any of the 2,616 candidates or the 12 recognised political parties contesting the polls.

Officials described this as an unprecedented achievement in electoral management, underscoring voters’ confidence in the electoral process.

Equally notable, the Commission reported zero appeals during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls across all 38 districts, covering 7.45 crore electors in the final list.

This, the ECI said, reflected the accuracy and credibility of the voter registration process.

–IANS

sas/rad