Telangana News: Preparations for counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections in Telangana are in full swing
Telangana: As the countdown for the declaration of Lok Sabha election results begins, preparations are in full swing for the counting of votes in 17 parliamentary constituencies in Telangana on June 4. The entire counting process is expected to be completed by 3 pm. Telangana went to polls on May 13 as part of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, along with a by-election for the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly constituency. Elaborating on the arrangements at a press conference here on Saturday, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas said Section 144 has been imposed and CCTV cameras have been installed at 34 counting centres across the state for round-the-clock monitoring.
Entry of unauthorised persons within 100 metres of the counting hall is prohibited. Counting of postal ballots will begin at 8 am, followed by counting of votes cast through electronic voting machines (EVMs) from 8.30 am. The results are expected to be declared after the completion of each round. About 2.17 lakh postal ballots have been counted, which will be counted by around 1,600-1,700 dedicated staff in a separate counting hall in each parliamentary constituency. However, an additional counting hall has been arranged for Chevella and Malkajgiri constituencies, where the number of postal ballots was high. “For counting of EVM votes, Choppadandi, Yakutpura and Devarakonda assembly constituencies will have the maximum of 24 rounds.
Armoor, Bhadrachalam and Aswarapete constituencies will have the least of 13 rounds. The final results are expected to be available by 3 pm,” the CEO said. After the initial counting, the VVPATs will be counted in five polling stations in each assembly constituency, which will be selected randomly. Around 10,000 staff will work on the counting process along with 49 supervisors and 2,440 micro observers across Telangana. A three-tier security arrangement has been put in place at the counting centres with around 12 companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) along with the state police. The agents have to reach their counting centres by 7 am on June 4 and they will not be allowed to carry electronic devices like cell phones inside the counting hall. Political parties have been asked to submit the list of counting agents by 3 pm on Saturday. Vikas Raj said that after the counting is completed, the EVMs will be kept in the storage room for 45 days. He said that liquor shops will remain closed on the day of counting and rallies will not be allowed. However, the police have been authorised to take a final decision on rallies considering the local conditions. Responding to a question, the CEO said that the counting of votes for the by-election of Mahbubnagar Local Body Constituency will be held on Sunday, while the counting of votes for the by-election of Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal Graduates Constituency will be held on June 5.
