Wait for final outcome of closely contested MP assembly polls has just got a bit longer. The results will start pouring only by late evening following Election Commission’s decision to certify each round of counting before starting the new round. The counting is scheduled on December 11. The process of certification of counting of each round began with Ater byelection. It was later adopted in Kolaras and Mungaoli bypolls too.
Chief Electoral Officer VL Kantha Rao said that 14 tables would be arranged for each constituency and certification would be done after every round. Contestants would verify and sign tabulation chart after every round. This would be a time-consuming process, he announced. CEO Rao said that counting would start with postal ballots at 8.00am.
Counting of votes from EVMs will begin at 8.30am. Around 14,600 government employees would be engaged in the process across the state. One polling booth will be selected randomly in presence of contestants and observers in every constituency where VVPAT slips would be counted and verified with results from control unit of the EVM.
Special arrangements have been made to secure the VVPAT slips in the counting hall, said the CEO. Election commission has made adequate arrangements to inform people about progress in counting. Apart from screens at important places, website of the election commission too would display counting status in real time.
