Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, May 12: Deputy commissioner Ravi Kumar announced that security has been tightened at NITK Surathkal as the process of counting the votes cast on assembly elections is set to begin on Saturday, May 13. The district administration is well-prepared for the event.

"The district witnessed a final voter turnout of 77.39% in the election held on May 10. The counting of postal votes will commence at 8 am, followed by the counting of EVMs at 8:30 am. Adequate arrangements have been made for candidates or their agents to sit alongside the returning officers. CCTV cameras have been installed at every table in the counting hall, and the footage will be monitored by the central and state election commissions to ensure the absence of any irregularities", DC said.

The use of electronic gadgets by political leaders and agents has been restricted. To bolster security, a total of 300 head constables, 14 inspectors, 2 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 400 civil police personnel, 39 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 200 home guards, 4 platoons of CAR, KSRP platoons, and CAPF platoons will be deployed at the counting center.

Each constituency will undergo 16-18 rounds of counting. So far, 20,150 postal votes have been received, and it is expected to surpass 22,000 by the morning of May 13. In the event of technical glitches with the EVMs or if the technical experts fail to open them, the voter slips in the VVPAT machines will be counted.

A total of 544 staff members have been appointed for the counting process, with an Assistant Returning Officer assigned to each counting table. There will be 40 such AROs.