RAIPUR: The counting of votes began at 9 am today under tight security arrangements in Chhattisgarh to decide the fate of 10167 candidates who were in the poll fray for 151 civic bodies. The process began with the counting of postal ballots.
The Bhupesh Baghel cabinet had in October this year cleared the proposal on reverting to ballot papers and holding the indirect Mayoral elections in the urban local bodies polls.
Consequently, the Chhattisgarh Municipalities Act was amended amid strong protest by the opposition BJP.
The elections were held for 10 municipal corporations, 38 municipal councils and 103 Nagar panchayats to elect the corporators for 2,831 wards.
The voter turnout of 78.73 per cent was recorded in the urban body polls held on December 21.
The counting of the ballot papers will begin after taking into account the postal ballots, a state election commission official said.
It is believed the process of counting the paper ballots will continue till late evening.