East Singhbhum district administration is ready for counting of votes polled for the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat. The counting of votes will be carried out at the counting centre set up on Jamshedpur Co-operative College (JCC) campus in Bistupur on May 23.
Deputy commissioner Amit Kumar said that the required communication system as well as software is being installed for the counting of votes. A trial run of the counting of votes by trained polling personnel will be carried out tomorrow," said Kumar.
The deputy commissioner, who is also the district electoral officer, said that a three-tier security system has been put in place for the safety of the EVMs.
"Central Reserve Police Force personnel are guarding the strong room where the polled EVMs have been kept, the security of the intermediate circle is being maintained by Jharkhand Armed Police personnel and the outer circle is being guarded by district armed police,” he informed.
Kumar said apart from the deployment of security personnel, adequate number of CCTV cameras have been installed in the strongroom where the sealed EVMs have been kept.
"As part of our preparation, a monitor of the CCTV cameras installed inside the strongroom has been put outside the strongroom so that members of any political party may watch what is going on inside where the sealed EVMs are kept," said the deputy commissioner. He said another monitor is installed at his own office so that he also may keep a constant watch on the strongroom.
Kumar said after the trial run of the counting will be carried out tomorrow. The administration has decided to provide separate monitors to the political parties—Mahagathbandhan, BJP and others which have put up tents outside the JCC so that the members can watch the counting of votes in the counting hall.
In the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituency, main contestants are the BJP's sitting MP, Bidyut Baran Mahto and Mahagathbandhan candidate and JMM leader Champai Soren.
JMM's central committee general secretary, Mohan Karmakar, said that they have put up tent near the counting hall outside JCC.
"The administration has also provided the necessary facility like installing a monitor to watch the image of CCTV cameras installed in the strongroom," said Karmakar.
The JMM leader said the Mahagathbandhan's candidate Champai Soren and the candidate's election agent Birsingh Soren have permission to go inside the strongroom in presence of security personnel anytime and as such they are satisfied with the arrangement made by the administration.
Leaders and supporters of all the parties in fray are planning to gather in large numbers outside the strong room at Jamshedpur C-operative College in support of their candidates.
Several parties areconstructing makeshifts tents, however, it is the tent of BJP that was brimming with joy. After the announcements of exit polls it was the BJP camp of supporters that rejoiced in jubilation.
