Election Results 2026: Today is a very important day for the country’s politics because on May 4, the assembly election results of five states (West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry) will be declared simultaneously (Election Result 2026).

At present the counting of votes is going on. People are keeping an eye on the trends and updates coming every moment. In such a situation, now the question arises that who counts the votes given by you? Come, amid the results of the assembly elections, let us tell you who is counting your votes and how much salary do they get for this work?

Who counts the votes?

Counting of votes in elections in India is done under the supervision of the Returning Officer (RO) appointed by the Election Commission of India. Along with the Returning Officer, Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), Counting Supervisor, Counting Assistant and Micro Observer complete the process of counting.

All of them together count your votes.

• The Returning Officer (RO) is usually the DM (District Magistrate) of the district or a senior administrative officer (IAS/IPS). They are responsible for counting the votes.
• One or more AROs are appointed to assist the Returning Officer. These are usually SDM or Tehsildar level officers.
• During counting of votes, the counting supervisor is the head of the counting table, who is usually a Gazetted Officer of the Central or State Government.
• There are one or two counting assistants at each table to assist the supervisor, who count the EVM and ballot paper votes.
• Micro Observers are central government employees appointed by the Election Commission, who monitor the observance of rules and complete transparency at the table.

How much is the salary?

Officials working in elections get paid in two ways – their regular salary and additional honorarium given by the Election Commission.

Returning Officer Salary: Their monthly salary ranges between Rs 78,800-2,25,000. (As per Level 1 to Level 14 of 7th Pay Commission).

Salary of Assistant Returning Officer: Their monthly salary ranges between Rs 56,100-1,77,500 (Level 10 or 11 of the 7th Pay Commission).

Additional honorarium given by the Election Commission

• As per the guidelines of the Election Commission, senior officers like DEO/RO/ARO are given a lump sum honorarium equal to at least one month’s basic salary.
• The counting supervisor is paid a lump sum of around Rs 1,500-1,850 (including training and duty allowance) for counting duties. Apart from this, they also get food allowance.
• Micro observers are paid around Rs 1,000-1,200 including duties and training.

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