Tripura along with the rest of the nation will go for counting of Lok Sabha polls on June 4. The counting will be held for 2 parliamentary constituencies amid tree-tier security system in each of the 60 counting halls and 7-Ramnagar Assembly Constituency by-election.
Addressing a press conference here in the conference hall of the civil secretariat, the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Puneet Agarwal said that the counting of votes will start from 8 am on June 4 next. The counting of votes will be held at a total of 20 locations in the district and sub-divisional headquarters of the state, he said.
Counting of votes for 1-Tripura West Parliamentary Constituency will be held at 7 places and counting of votes for 2-East Tripura (ST) Parliamentary Constituency will be held at 15 places, he said, adding that the EVMs and other voting records are kept under tight security in strong rooms at 20 different locations.
He further informed that there will be a total of 60 counting halls in the two parliamentary constituencies for EVM counting. The Returning Officers have arranged two separate counting halls for the counting of postal ballot votes at their respective headquarters, he told reporters.
There is also a system of pre-counting of ETPBS (Service Electors’ Votes) in the counting hall by the Returning Officers in both parliamentary constituencies, he added.
Regarding security arrangements on the day of counting of polls, the CEO informed that the entire process of the poll counting will be held under CCTV surveillance, while a three-tier security system will be in force at each counting center, so that no person can enter illegally.
Besides, state police will be deployed to ensure that match boxes, weapons and other inflammable items etc. do not enter the counting centre. The Chief Electoral Officer of the state also said that the Election Commission has appointed 31 counting observers to properly complete the process of counting the votes of the two parliamentary constituencies of the state.
He also said that the results of the counting of votes and the movement of counting will be displayed on the commission’s website and voter helpline app from time to time. The Chief Electoral Officer of the state sought everyone’s cooperation to complete the counting of votes for the two Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in a fair and peaceful manner.