Nation

Prez poll: Who is ‘Mr Ballot Box’, for whom EC buys separate air tickets?

July 19, 2022
Bharat Times

New Delhi: A day after the presidential election, the ballot boxes, carrying votes cast by the lawmakers in states and Union territories, on Tuesday (July 19, 2022) boarded their flights from various cities on separate air tickets under the name “Mr Ballot box”. Escorted under the watchful gaze of the Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) of their respective states, “Mr Ballot Box” occupied the front row seat in the aircraft. The Election Commission (EC) sent ballot boxes to 14 states and Union territories for the July 18 Presidential poll.

Separate tickets are booked for ballot boxes in name of “Mr Ballot Box”

Separate tickets are booked for the ballot boxes in the name of “Mr Ballot Box” and ‘he’ is seated in the front row of aircraft. For proper security, the seat behind “Mr Ballot Box” is occupied by the officer transporting the poll material such as ballot papers and special pens to mark votes.

It is reportedly the first time that the Election Commission had booked two-way tickets for the ballot boxes. Earlier, these were sent as hand baggage by supervising officials.

The ballot boxes play a prominent role in the process of presidential elections. Thus, the mandated procedure specifies special caution during the transportation, storage, and use of these boxes. Assistant returning officer from the state and one official from the office of the state chief electoral officer come to Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters in Delhi, to collet the poll material. They are mandated to return to the state capital the same day.

Once the ballot boxes and ballot papers reach the state capitals, these are stored in previously sanitised and properly sealed strong rooms and the process is videographed. After the poll is over, the polled and sealed ballot boxes and other election material are transported back to the office of returning officer — this time it is the Rajya Sabha secretary general — by the next available flight.

The boxes and other documents are carried personally in the aircraft cabins — never out of sight of accompanying officers.

It is noteworthy that voting for Presidential polls is held in Parliament House and state legislative assemblies and elected MPs and MLAs — not the nominated — are entitled to vote. MLCs are not entitled to vote in presidential poll.

Presidential poll 2022: Overall turnout at 99%, 10 states, one UT record 100% voting

The EC on Monday said that over 99 per cent of the total 4,796 electors cast their votes in the presidential poll and that 10 states and the Union Territory of Puducherry recorded a turnout of 100 per cent. Out of a total of 771 Members of Parliament entitled to vote (05 vacant) and out of total of 4,025 Members of the Legislative Assemblies entitled to vote (06 vacant and 02 disqualified), over 99 per cent cast their votes, the EC said in a statement.

A 100 per cent voting by MLAs was reported from Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Draupadi Murmu or Yashwant Sinha? Who will be India’s next President? Counting on July 21

While the BJP-led NDA had nominated Draupadi Murmu as its candidate, the joint opposition fielded Yashwant Sinha for the 16th Presidential election. The counting of votes will take place in Room No 63 in Parliament House on July 21 from 11 am and the result will be declared immediately after the counting.

The immediate precincts of Room Number 63 have been declared as sanitised and silent zone. Only counting officers, officials deployed to assist the Rajya Sabha Secretary General, candidates and one authorised representative of each candidate, observers appointed by the Election Commission and media persons with valid passes will be allowed entry into the counting hall.

(With agency inputs)