With the counting of votes for the 2018 Assembly Election in Telangana set to begin at 8 am on Tuesday, security has been beefed up across the state, especially at counting centres. For the counting of votes, a total of 3,360 counting staff personnel have been deployed along with 1,916 micro observers. There are 43 counting centres across the state.
The EC said that only people authorised by them could enter the counting hall, besides candidates, their election agents and counting agents. Counting agents are not allowed to carry mobile phones inside the counting centres and will not be allowed to leave during the process, the EC said.
A total of 2,379 rounds will be held, with Belampally constituency having just 15 rounds and Serlingampally having 42 rounds.
Besides one counting centre for each constituency, the EC said that 14 tables would be set up at each of the centres and postal ballots would be counted in the first half an hour. After this, votes polled in EVMs would be counted.
“The number of votes polled and the votes in the EVMs will be compared and checked up. These votes will be noted down and will be shown to the agents and their signatures will be taken. After this exercise, seals of EVMs will be removed and button of the results will be pressed. At once, the votes polled will be revealed candidate wise. In each round, results of 14 EVMs will be disclosed. The number of rounds of counting votes will depend on number of polling stations,” the EC said in a press release.
Results of every round will be disclosed only after agents satisfaction, they added.
Meanwhile, security was also stepped up in Hyderabad. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commission (GHMC) Commissioner M Dana Kishore and Hyderabad city police commissioner Anjani Kumar visited and inspected counting centres on Monday where arrangements were being made for counting.
The officials visited L B Indoor Stadium, Nizam College, OU Campus, Amberpet, RBVRR College Narayanguda and other counting centres. 15 counting centres have been established for Hyderabad district.
Section 144 was also imposed around counting centres on Tuesday, the police said.
In a separate development, the Hyderabad city police also issued instructions against bursting firecrackers on public roads and public places on Tuesday from 6 am on December 11 to 6 am on December 12.
The police said that they were taking the step “with a view to maintain public order, peace and tranquility in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.”
“The public are hereby informed that any person violating the above orders shall be liable for prosecution,” the police added.