All set for counting of votes for LS Polls today

Hyderabad, May 22 : Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Dr Rajat Kumar briefed media persons at Secretariat regarding the various aspects of the process of counting of votes on Thursday for the Lok Sabha elections held on April 11, 2019. Dr Rajat Kumar also provided clarity on the statutory regulations and guidelines specified by the Election Commission of India regarding the entire process of counting.

Counting of votes will begin at 8 AM at 126 halls situated in 35 premises across 18 districts on 1,841 tables with 14(+1) tables at each of the 110 Assembly segments. Extra tables have been set up at Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency @ 2 halls with 18(+1) tables each at all the 7 Assembly segments and 28(+1) tables each at 2 segments in Medchal and LB Nagar in Malkajgiri Parliamentary constituencies.

In the fray, are 443 candidates contesting for 17 Parliamentary seats in the state. In the first round of counting, postal votes and electronically transmitted postal ballot (ETPBS) votes will be counted. At 8.20 AM the first batch of EVMs will be brought to the tables and counted.

The Chief Electoral Officer emphasized that wherever there was a discrepancy in the total count of votes between the EVM and the VVPAT slips, the count of paper slips from the VVPAT machines will be held final. The recount of votes at any counting hall is at the discretion of the Returning Officer.

Any request for recounting has to be submitted in writing by the contesting candidates, election agents and counting agents during the time allotted for entertaining such requests by the Returning Officer who is vested with quasi-judicial authority.

Any EVM found with the 'close' button not pressed will be set aside and the concerned personnel will inform the Returning Officer and the Observers present. The Election Commission Of India will be intimated of EVMs of this nature for further action.

The results of every round of counting will be uploaded online directly from the counting centres through Suvidha, an upgraded and integrated portal. Only Returning Officers have been vested with the authority to make changes in the portal. Media centres have been set up at all counting centres and display of results will be made on electronic boards placed at these media centres and at the Media Centre at the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Security at all counting halls will consist of three cordons comprising state and central police forces and the carriage and use of cell phones inside counting halls is strictly prohibited. Groups of 5-to-6 media persons each will be taken into the halls at specified intervals.