Counting of votes for bypoll today, 3-tier security in place

A three-tier security system has been put in place around the centres where votes polled for the byelections to four Assembly seats will be counted tomorrow. Punjab Police jawans and officers, along with personnel of the Central armed forces, have been deployed there.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said all preparations for counting of votes had been made. The counting would start at 8 am tomorrow. All counting centres will be monitored with the help of CCTV cameras.

The officer said 45 candidates were in the fray for the four seats — 11 in Dera Baba Nanak, six in Chabbewal and 14 each in Gidderbaha and Barnala constituencies. The votes will be counted in 18, 15, 13 and 16 rounds, respectively. The counting centres have been set up at Sukhjindra Group of Institutes, Engineering Wing, Hardochhanni Road, Gurdaspur; Rayat and Bahra Group of Institutes in Hoshiarpur; Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) on Bharu Road in Giddarbaha; and SD College of Education, Barnala, respectively. One counting centre was set up in each Assembly constituency.