Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, May 21 : East Singhbhum district administration on Tuesday conducted the trial run of the counting under strict security arrangements.
During the trial run of counting held under the supervision of East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amit Kumar who is also district electoral officer for Jamshedpur seat, nearly 30 rounds of counting with dummy entry of candidates took place.
The administration will provide separate monitors at the fascilitation centres of the political parties – Mahagathbandhan, BJP so that the members can watch the counting of votes in the counting hall. The counting of votes will be carried out at the counting centre set up on Jamshedpur Co-operative College (JCC) premises in Bistupur on May 23. The polled EVMs have also kept in a strongroom set up in the JCC under a three tier security system.
Speaking about the security of the polled EVMs, the deputy commissioner, who is also the district electoral officer Amit Kumar said that a three tier security system has been put in place for the safety of the EVMs.
In the inner circle surrounding the strongroom where the polled EVMs have been kept is being guarded by Central Reserve Police Force personnel, the security of the intermediate circle is being maintained by Jharkhand Armed Police personnel and the outer circle is being guarded by district armed police.
“A monitor of the CCTV cameras installed inside the strongroom has been put outside the strongroom so that members of any political party may watch what is going on inside where the sealed EVMs are kept,” said the deputy commissioner. He said another monitor is installed at his own office so that he also may keep a constant watch on the strongroom.
Bidyut Baran Mahto, BJP candidate for the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat pointed out that he is satisfied with the arrangement made by the administration.
According to information there will be 20 rounds of counting in most of the assembly constituencies under Jamshedpur Parliamentary seat which along with VVPAT matching exercise for five polling booths in each assembly segments would make the results to be announced .
East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amit Kumar said that counting would begin from 8 am with counting of electronically transmitted postal ballot system (ETPBS) and thereafter postal ballots.
�As per the process after completion of counting of ETPBS and postal ballots we will start the process of random counting of voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips matching it with EVM results. Five polling booths from each of the six assembly segments of Jamshedpur seat would be selected through lottery for matching VVPAT slips with EVM results. Only after completion of the process shall we begin EVM counting,� said Amit Kumar.
Jugsalai assembly segment having the maximum number of booths (381) will provide the final results in the last.
�There will be 20 rounds of counting for each of assembly segments with tables divided on the number of polling booths. Assistant returning officers (AROs) will be monitoring the counting with counting agent of each of the candidates in each tables,� said an official.