Jamshedpur : Counting agents, party representatives and candidates will be allowed to carry only a pen, a pad and a calculator nothing else inside the strong room.
No one will be allowed to carry mobile phone inside the strongroom. They will have to enter before 7 am on counting day and can come out only after counting process is over.
The district administration is taking the counting process to be carried out in 14 tables for each of the six Assembly seats is expected to be completed before 2 pm on December 23.
East Singhbhum deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Amitabh Kaushal has also strictly forbidden construction of tents on the approach road to the Jamshedpur Cooperative College or assembly of persons without valid ID cards near political parties tents.
He said that the administration wants to make sure that the counting process is carried under strict vigil and peaceful manner.
With most of the six Assembly constituencies witnessing close fights the administration has decided to take important steps to prevent deterioration of law and order situation in the city.
Apart from the tents erected by four parties like BJP, JMM, Congress and JVM inside the Jamshedpur Cooperative College premises other parties will not be allowed to set up hamianas anywhere else.
They can chose any of the four vacant buildings earmarked by district administration only after receiving permission from the Dhalbhum SDO Prem Ranjan.
These buildings will be given to political parties only if they seek prior permission from us. Nobody will be allowed to set up shamianas on the approach roads. Since Section 144 of CrPC is already in force we will now allow assembly of large number of people on the road.
On the other hand the returning officer informed that a media center will be set up at the administrative complex of the counting centre, to facilitate the media for the coverage of the whole election process. All communication facilities would be provided to scribes, he added.
�As per the instructions no person other than candidates, their election/ counting agents, public servants on election duty or persons authorised by Election Commission shall enter the counting premises at the time of counting of votes,� he noted.
The parties have been asked to submit a list of agents for each assembly segment. The political parties have imparted training on their own to the agents.
�As everything is made electronic, the necessity of agents is quite minimal. There is quite a difference between counting ballot papers and counting using EVMs. But keen observation in EVMs is most important� said an official on poll duty.