Ahmedabad: State’s Chief Electoral Officer P. Bharti said on the preparations for the counting of votes to be held from 8 am on Thursday that there will be a three-tier security system at all the counting centres. Preparations have been completed at 37 counting centres in 33 districts of the state. Local police will be stationed outside the campus of the counting centre. There will be the security of SRPF at the counting location and a CRPF outside the door of the counting centre. Postal ballots will be counted first at 8 am. The counting of the postal ballot as well as EVM will start at 8.30 am. He made it clear that no one would be allowed to enter the premises except the officials on election duty and the political representatives who have taken permission.
The counting of votes for the Gujarat Assembly elections will begin at 8 am on Thursday at 37 polling stations in the state. 182 Counting Observers, 182 Returning Officers and 494 Assistant Returning Officers have been assigned for the counting of votes. Along with this, 78 assistant election officers have also been given duty. 71 Additional Returning Officers have been assigned the work of the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System. A micro observer, counting supervisor and counting assistant have been assigned duty at each table in the polling station. Apart from this, two micro observers will be stationed in the counting hall. The entire process of counting will be videographed.
Chief Electoral Officer P. Bharathi said that all necessary preparations have been completed at all the counting centres of the state. 3 counting centres have been set up in Ahmedabad, 3 in Surat and 2 in Anand and 1 each in all the districts. Here the counting of votes will start simultaneously at all the places. He told that all the counting staff have been appointed. The second randomization has also been completed. At the same time, the third randomization process will be done before the counting of votes.
Officers, inspectors, staff officers, candidates, and counting agents of all the candidates will also be able to enter the counting centre on behalf of the Election Commission. In the presence of the Returning Officer, the Assistant Returning Officer, the candidate’s counting agent and the observer appointed by the Election Commission, the EVM will be taken out of the strong room and placed in the counting hall. Mobile phones will not be allowed to be used anywhere on the premises of the counting centre except in the media centre.
Surat City – The counting of votes for 16 assembly seats of the district will be held at SVNIT Ichhanath and S&SS Gandhi College-Majura Gate. The city’s SVNIT College Campus will count for a total of six assembly seats, while Gandhi College will count for 10 assembly seats. On the other hand, 135 employees will participate in 23 rounds of the 163-Limbayat assembly during the counting of votes to be held at SVNIT College. Talking about 161- Varachha Road, the counting of votes will be done in 17 rounds. A total of 50 employees will be involved with 14 tables. In 165- Majura Assembly, 80 employees in 19 rounds, 162- Karanj Assembly, 30 employees in 18 rounds, 159- Surat East Assembly, 60 employees in 18 rounds, 160- Surat North Assembly, 50 employees in 17 rounds will be involved during the counting of votes.
Apart from this, the counting of votes of 10 assembly constituencies will take place at S&SS Gandhi College of Engineering-Majura Gate. The counting of 168-Choryasi assemblies will be done in 38 rounds and 70 to 80 employees will be involved. 156- The counting of Mangrol assembly will be done in 21 rounds and 70 employees will be involved. Apart from this, 285 employees in 22 rounds in the 157-Mandvi Assembly, 85 employees in 21 rounds in the 166-Katargam Assembly, 187 employees in 19 rounds in the 167-Surat West Assembly, 18 rounds and 300 officers-employees in 164-Udhna Assembly, 169 – 21 rounds of vote counting and 200 workers including 20 rounds and one reserve round in Bardoli assembly, 170- 80 officers-employees in 20 rounds in Mahuva assembly, 158-150 workers in 38 rounds in Kamrej, 155- in 32 rounds in Olpad assembly 250 employees will be involved in the counting duty. On the 8th, the first postal ballots will be counted, after which the main votes will be counted according to the rules, after which the EVMs will be opened.
