Pune: As the state’s 29 municipal corporations are going to the polls on Jan 15 and counting is scheduled for the next day, election officials across cities are hoping the State Election Commission will consider offering a one-day gap between the two exercises, which will allow the returning officers some rest and help them in better management.The issue is likely to be raised at the next coordination meeting in the coming week, an official involved in the preparations told TOI on Saturday. “A day’s gap between polling and counting has been the practice in corporation polls. Given the workload on returning officers (ROs), we hope the State Election Commission (SEC) will shift counting to Jan 17,” the official said.Another senior official is more blunt about the back-to-back schedule, especially for corporations with a large number of wards. “It is unrealistic and absolutely inhuman,” the official, who did not want to be named, said.In the last civic polls held in 2017, voting was conducted on Feb 21 and counting on Feb 23, providing a buffer day for staffers to complete post-voting procedures and get ready for counting a day after. However, this time, it will be very hectic for ROs as they have multiple wards and plenty of polling stations, officials said.As per the data from SEC, 228 ROs have been appointed for the 893 wards in the 29 corporations with 2,869 seats. As many as 23 ROs are assigned for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (227 wards), followed by 15 for the Pune Municipal Corporation (41 wards) and 11 for the Thane civic body (33 wards). After voting ends, EVMs have to be collected from booths, transported to strong rooms, sealed and secured — a process that often stretches well past midnight. “If counting starts at 10am the very next day, there is hardly any rest. A day’s gap will help ROs and assistant ROs complete procedures carefully and be mentally fresh for counting,” another official said.Officials said the pressure would increase if a repoll was ordered in any ward, as the same officers would have to oversee the fresh exercise along with preparations for counting.While SEC has so far stuck to Jan 16 as counting day, officers on the ground said they are optimistic that a one-day break will be considered to ease the load on ROs and ensure a smoother process.A senior poll official, who did not want to be named, said since the dates of polling and counting have been announced, it is unlikely they would change the schedule. “Officials should have raised it earlier in the discussions with SEC before the announcement of the schedule,” the official added.The demand for a one-day interval comes as SEC has revised parts of the election programme. In a circular issued on Dec 26, the commission extended the deadline for finalising and uploading polling station-wise voter lists to Jan 3 to allow verification of nearly 11 lakh suspected duplicate entries flagged earlier across corporations as the previous date of publication was Dec 27. Booth-wise lists with marked duplicates will be published after verification, while consolidated municipal rolls must be completed by Jan 3.“When timelines can be adjusted for voter lists’ verification in the interest of accuracy, we hope the commission will consider a small extension for counting in the interest of smooth conduct of polls,” an RO from one of the wards in Pune told TOI.In Pune, 15 ROs will manage 41 wards and 165 corporator seats, with each handling two to three wards. In Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, eight ROs will oversee 32 wards and 128 seats, with some officers managing up to four wards.
