As the countdown to the declaration of lok sabha election results begins, Telangana's 17 parliamentary seats are gearing up for vote counting on june 4. The full counting procedure is scheduled to be done by 3 p.m. On May 13, the fourth phase of lok sabha elections was held in telangana, coupled with a by-election for the secunderabad Cantonment assembly constituency.
Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas elaborated on the arrangements during a news conference here on Saturday, saying Section 144 has been implemented and CCTV cameras have been installed at 34 counting stations throughout the state for round-the-clock surveillance. Unauthorized people are not permitted within 100 meters of the vote-counting hall.
The counting of postal ballots will begin at 8 a.m., followed by the counting of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 8.30 a.m. Results are likely to trickle in once each round is completed.
Around 2.17 lakh postal ballots have been cast, and they will be tallied by around 1,600-1,700 devoted professionals in a separate counting hall in each parliamentary seat. However, an additional counting hall has been set up for the Chevella and malkajgiri seats, which received a larger number of postal votes.
"The maximum number of rounds for EVM vote counting will be 24 in the Choppadandi, Yakutpura, and devarakonda assembly segments. The Armoor, Bhadrachalam, and Aswaraopet constituencies will have the fewest number of 13 rounds. The final results are likely to be ready by 3 p.m.," the CEO stated.
Following the first counting, VVPATs will be counted at five polling locations in each assembly segment, chosen randomly. Approximately 10,000 people will be working on the counting process throughout telangana, along with 49 observers and 2,440 micro observers.
At the counting centers, three-tier security measures have been arranged, with around 12 companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) and State police. Agents must appear at their counting centers by 7 a.m. on june 4 and are not permitted to bring electronic devices such as cell phones within the counting halls. Political parties have been required to submit their list of counting agents by 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Vikas raj claimed that once the counting was over, the EVMs would be stored for 45 days. He stated that liquor stores will be closed on the day of counting, and rallies will not be permitted. However, the police have been given the authority to make final decisions for gatherings based on local conditions.
In response to a query, the CEO stated that the counting of votes for the mahabubnagar local Bodies constituency by-election will take place on Sunday, while the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal Graduates seat by-poll will be done on june 5.