There is an increase in the number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) deployed this time as part of the COVID19 precautions, the Election Commission (EC) stated on Bihar elections.
The Election Commission increased the number of voting machines by 63% to cover the corresponding hike in total polling stations, from 65,000 in 2015 to 1.06 lakh. The increase was implemented to limit the number of electors in each polling station to 1,000 and ensure social distancing during voting.
The Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) Chandra Bhushan Kumar said that the counting speed is the same. But there are more EVMs to be counted; it (result) can take longer because of that. The counting of votes in Bihar is likely to finish late tonight.
He also added that the number of tables at each counting centre had been limited to seven, to ensure social distancing, as opposed to 14 under normal circumstances.
