Candidates’ fate to unseal today, counting staff ready

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 22

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju today said the counting for 13 parliamentary constituencies would be done at 21 places in the state tomorrow. He said all arrangements in this regard were in place.

Raju said this while speaking with the media after inspecting the arrangements at the counting centres set up at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC) and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).

He said the counting of votes would start at 8 am and a three-tier security ring had been created around the centres. The Chief Electoral Officer said public entry would not be allowed into the counting centres and only candidates, counting staff, polling agents, security personnel, election officers, observers and mediapersons, who had been issued passes, could go in.

Raju said counting of slips (votes) of five random VVPAT machines each from Assembly constituencies would be done manually. No vehicles and public would be allowed within 100 metres of the counting centres, and prohibition orders under section 144 of the CrPC had already been put in place in the state. Raju said counting staff consisting of around 3.5 lakh employees had been deputed in the state, besides security personnel deputed to make sure the process goes on peacefully.

District Election Officer-cum-Returning Officer Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said the district administration had made all arrangements for the counting. 

The counting of votes polled in five Vidhan Sabha constituencies of the Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency would be held at GNDEC. Votes of Khanna would be counted on the second floor of GNE Polytechnic College; of Samrala at new sports hall complex, GNDEC; of Sahnewal on second floor, examination hall, GNE Polytechnic College, Gill Road; of Payal on second floor, mechanical hall, GNE Polytechnic College; and the votes of the Raikot constituency would be counted on the first floor of GNE Polytechnic College.

Agrawal said a total of 22 candidates were in the fray for the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency and their fate would be decided by 10,44,823 voters. He said 17 counting teams had been deputed in all Assembly constituencies. Reserve teams had also been put on standby. The Deputy Commissioner said each team would have a micro-observer, a counting supervisor, and an assistant counting supervisor. Special teams had been deputed for counting of postal ballots. 

Counting centres

Ludhiana East: Library hall of Government Senior Secondary Smart School, PAU 

Ludhiana South: 2nd floor, Examination Hall-cum-Lecture Theatre Complex, PAU

Atam Nagar: Examination Hall, near Kisan Training Centre, PAU

Ludhiana Central: Gymnasium Hall, Ground Floor, PAU

Ludhiana West: Gymnasium Hall, Ground Floor, PAU

Ludhiana North: Multipurpose Hall, Government Senior Secondary Smart School, PAU

Gill: Ground floor, Examination Hall-cum-Theatre Complex, opposite Department of Vegetable Science & Fruit Science, PAU

Dakha: Sukhdev Bhawan dining hall, PAU

Jagraon constituency: Dr DS Dev Examination Hall, College of Agriculture, PAU