Telangana news: Three-tier security arrangements for counting of votes in Telangana

HYDERABAD: All necessary arrangements are in place for the counting of votes for the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, scheduled to begin at 8 am on June 4. Around 10,000 polling personnel have been deployed, with stringent security measures including three-tier security at all counting centres.

Officials said that the counting process is expected to conclude by 3 pm the same day. Counting will occur in 34 centres statewide in 120 counting halls and 1,855 tables.

Additionally, 19 halls with 276 tables will be used to count 2.18 lakh postal ballots and Electronic Postal Ballots, accepted until 8 am on June 4. Surveillance will be tight, with CCTV cameras installed in all counting halls. Section 144 has been enforced near the centres. Liquor shops will remain closed on counting day, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Telangana, Vikas Raj.

The counting of postal ballots will start at 8 am, followed by the EVM votes at 8:30 am. A maximum of 24 rounds of counting will take place in Choppadandi, Yakutpura and Devarakonda Assembly segments, while a minimum of 13 rounds will occur in Armoor, Bhadrachalam, and Aswaraopet segments. Most constituencies will see between 18 and 21 rounds.

Following the initial EVM vote count, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips from five randomly selected polling stations in each Assembly segment will be tallied with the EVM count. Post-counting, the EVMs will be stored in strongrooms for 45 days in case any election petitions are filed.

Security at the counting campuses includes three cordons: One for the hall, one for the campus, and one 100 metres around the campus perimeter, where vehicles are prohibited.

Forty-nine central observers and 2,414 micro-observers will monitor the counting process. Large screens will be installed at 78 key locations to display results. Agents are barred from bringing mobile phones into the counting halls.

Council elections: Ballot papers come into play

Counting for the Mahbubnagar Local Bodies election will also begin at 8 am on June 4. For the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates MLC bypoll, counting will be held at Duppalapalli near Nalgonda on June 5 from at 8 am. Four counting halls, each with 24 tables, and 900 staff members will be employed to count the ballot papers.