We’re a week away from the counting of votes in one of the world’s largest exercises in democracy, and the authorities are taking no chances.
In Gujarat, votes that will decide representatives to five Assembly constituencies and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies will see participation from 56 counting observers, 30 election officers and 180 assistant election officers (AEO), chief election officer (CEO) P Bharathi has said.
CEO Bharathi led a video conference with the state police nodal officer and all district election officers at the 26 counting centres on May 28, to review arrangements. This follows a similar review meeting held by the Election Commission of India on Monday, May 27.
Votes will be counted on June 4, as in the rest of the country.
Following the review meeting, Bharathi announced that counting of votes will begin at 8 am on June 4 across 26 centres: one in each of the LS constituencies, with the exception of Anand, which has two counting centres.
In addition to 56 counting observers, 30 election officers and 180 AEOs,, who will facilitate counting, 614 additional AEOs will handle postal ballots and electronically transmitted postal ballot systems.
All observers will be present at their respective counting centres by June 2, she added.
Explaining the three-tier system to be put in place, Bharathi said that local police would be stationed outside the premises of every counting centre. State Reserve Police Force personnel will be deployed at the counting centre; and Central Armed Police Forces personnel will be placed outside the centre as well as at the door of the strong room, she added. No persons other than on-duty officials and authorised political representatives will be allowed to enter the complex, in order to maintain the integrity of the counting process.