Postal ballots will be counted first: Collector
Bijapur. Collector and District Election Officer Rajendra Kumar Katara, while holding a press conference on Saturday, informed the journalists that the counting of votes for Assembly General Election 2023 Assembly Constituency No. 89 Bijapur will start from 8 am on December 3 at the counting venue Cultural Building, Bijapur. Total voting status in Assembly Bijapur in which 39980 men and 41860 women, 81844 people including third gender 4 have voted. At the same time, a total of 819 postal ballots including 153 total number of postal ballots received from electors (E7PB) out of the total number of 638 postal ballots received from 28 security forces/electoral employees above 80 years of age, have been received till 02 December. In the counting room, 14 tables have been installed for counting from EVM (Control Unit) and 02 tables have been installed for counting of postal ballot and ETPBS, thus the counting work will be done in a total of 16 tables, for which counting supervisor and counting assistant will be required. After appointment, first training has been given on 28 November 2023 and second training has also been given on 02 December 2023. Similarly, micro observers have also been appointed to monitor each calculation table, who are employees of the Central Government, they have also been trained on both the above dates.
Out of the 14 tables designated for counting of votes from EVM (Control Unit), the duty of one Additional Assistant Returning Officer has been imposed for table number 01 to 07 and one Additional Assistant Returning Officer for table number 08 to 14 for counting work. And for the counting of postal ballot and ETPBS, the duty of additional assistant returning officer has been imposed for separate counting work. To conduct the counting of votes successfully and peacefully, a three-tier security cordon has been created with the help of the police department. Chhattisgarh in first circle and second circle. Armed security forces of Armed Police Force and Third Circle CAPF have been deployed. The said three-tier security cordon has been made a walking area. In which any type of vehicles has been banned.
In the counting room, the mobile phones of the observers and two returning officers whose mobiles are operated on different networks will also be taken to the counting room. The mobiles of all of them will also remain switched off. The mobile of the Returning Officer will be activated only for receiving OTP for ETPBS software. It will be switched off again after receiving the OTP. Apart from this, blank paper, copy of ballot accounting form 17C Part-1, list of EVMs and VVPATs supplied by the Returning Officer and used in various polling stations of the Assembly, plastic pens/pencils were taken inside the counting hall. Will be able to go. Prohibited items that cannot be taken inside the counting hall are mobile phones, I-pads, laptops, smart watches, cameras, other electronic devices, beedis, cigarettes, gutka.
Media persons holding authorization letters from the Election Commission of India can enter the counting hall in very small numbers along with the officer in charge and a specific place will be indicated for the media persons to enter. Due to which they should not proceed further. Media persons will be allowed to carry handheld cameras, but will not be allowed to carry static camera stills. Separate other teams have also been appointed for the vote counting work, like EVM runner team, sealing team etc. For entry into the counting room, 08 candidates who were contesting for assembly constituency number 89 Bijapur had submitted an application through Format-18 for appointing a counting agent and providing identity card. The counting agent’s identity cards of all the 08 candidates have been prepared and made available to all the candidates. Counting of votes: On 03 December 2023 at 5:30 am, the strong room at District Treasury, Bijapur will be opened for taking the postal ballot boxes to the counting venue. Similarly, the strongroom will be opened at 07 am for counting of EVMs.
