Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan said that the counting of votes for all 230 assembly constituencies of the state will start at 8 am on Sunday at 52 district headquarters. All preparations for counting of votes have been completed. All District Election Officers, Police Commissioners and Superintendents of Police have been instructed to strictly follow the security norms in the counting centre. The day of counting has been declared a dry day.
While talking to media perosns at Nirvachan Sadan on Friday, Rajan said that three-tier security arrangements have been ensured at the counting venue. Only authorized pass-holding persons will be able to enter. Separate counting halls have been made for each assembly at the counting centre, where as per the instructions of the Commission, tables have been arranged for counting of postal ballots and EVMs. Randomization of counting personnel will be three-tier. The first randomization has been done. The second level of randomization will take place 24 hours before the start of counting and the third level of randomization will take place at 5 am on the day of counting. Observers have been appointed by the Commission for counting of votes in all the assembly constituencies, who have reached the districts. The second and third randomization will be done in the presence of the observer.
Rajan said that the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer will take action to transfer the postal ballot from the local strong room made for postal ballot to the strong room for postal ballot made in the counting center after 3 pm on December 2, information about which will be given compulsorily to recognized national political parties and candidates and their counting agents. Postal ballots of service electors received by post should be deleivered at the counting center before 8 am. For this, passes have been issued to the nodal officers/postmen of the Postal Department so that the postal ballots received by the Postal Department at night are delivered to the counting center before 8 am in the morning.
Rajan said that a media center has been set-up in a separate room at the counting center for authorized media persons, where facilities like telephone, computer, printer and internet etc. will be available. Authorization letters have been issued by the Commission for media personnel.
Rajan said that there will be a counting supervisor, a counting assistant, a counting staff and a micro observer on the counting table of the EVM. Similarly, there will be one assistant returning officer, one counting supervisor, two counting assistants and one micro observer at the counting table of postal ballot. Officers and employees of central government departments will be the Micro observers.
Rajan said that there will be counting agents of the candidates on the EVM/Postal Ballot table, whose seating order will be (1) recognized national political parties, (2) recognized state parties of other states which are contesting elections for that assembly constituency for which symbol has been assigned, (3) the unrecognized registered party (4) will remain independent.
Rajan said that for the machines to reach the counting hall from the strong room, separate route/path/arrangement has been decided assembly constituency wise, which will have CCTV coverage. Apart from the Election Observer, no one is allowed to take mobile phone into the counting hall. Only Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers and Counting Supervisors who are associated with ETPB will be able to carry mobile for OTP to open the ETPBMS system and after this, they will have to switch off the mobile and deposit it with the Observer, Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer.
