BHUBANESWAR: Security arrangements have been finalised for all the 60 counting centres in the State for tomorrow. Counting will begin at 8 am in all the centres and results of all the constituencies, Lok Sabha and Assembly, are expected to be out by tomorrow afternoon.
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel will be on guard at the counting centres in the sensitive Kandhamal district and other Maoist-affected areas of the State, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Alka Panda told a media conference here on Friday.
Three-tier security ring will be in place in all the counting centres, she said.
She said that observers will make a random check of at least two electronic voting machines (EVMs) in each of the counting centres. One observer from the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be present in each counting hall. Besides, video recording of the counting will also be done in some cases, she said.
There will be 60 counting centres having 159 counting halls for simultaneous counting of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
Private arrangements by political parties and candidates for guarding the EVMs were allowed in several constituencies because of the doubts raised about their safe keeping, Panda said. Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had made an issue by alleging that there were possibilities of tampering of the EVMs by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) even though such a possibility was ruled out by the CEO.
The CEO said in several constituencies including Jajpur, Bolangir and Kendrapara, arrangements were made by parties and candidates for guarding the EVMs kept in the treasuries. She said that the Commission allowed guarding of EVMs by candidates who applied for it.
No police personnel will be allowed inside the counting hall unless specially called by the returning officer/assistant returning officer. They will be deployed outside the counting hall. Besides, security personnel accompanying the candidates or their agents will not be permitted to enter the counting hall.
Victory procession of the candidates will be regulated in consultation with the superintendents of police (SPs) to avoid untoward incidents, she said.