The East Singhbhum district administration is making extensive preparations for the counting of votes on June 4, ensuring a smooth and secure process.

The administration has announced the deployment of 22 magistrates and 77 police officials to supervise the vote counting, which will commence sharply at 8 a.m. at the strong room located at the Jamshedpur Co-operative College. Special Armed Police (SAP) jawans will be present to provide additional security.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer for the Jamshedpur parliamentary constituency, Ananya Mittal, has instructed all personnel involved in the counting exercise to report to the strong room by 6 a.m. Political party representatives will be allowed entry around the start of the counting exercise.

The counting will begin with postal ballots, overseen by the DC-cum-district election officer at his table. This will be followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes. The counting halls have been arranged assembly-wise, with six halls in total. Each hall will have 14 counting tables and one table for the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO).

District police personnel will maintain security outside the strong room, while the SAP will secure the perimeter of the Co-operative College. Magistrates have been directed to handle potential troublemakers strictly, and all liquor shops in the district will be closed on June 4 to prevent any disturbances.

“We have already announced that all wine shops in the district will remain closed on June 4, to ensure foolproof safety arrangements,” confirmed an official.

The counting is expected to conclude by 4:30 p.m., including the formality of handing over the merit certificate to the winning candidate.

Meanwhile, discussions about the election outcomes are in full swing across the city, with residents eagerly debating the prospects of the contestants vying for the Lok Sabha seat.

“The only topic we had for discussion in our office was about counting. People have their own opinions, but I certainly feel that Bidyut Baran Mahto is the local favorite,” said Amlan Chakravarty, an employee of a private bank.

All though, district police personnel too, will be on duty outside the strong room but the responsibility of providing security to the four boundaries of the Co-operative College rests with Special Armed Police, (SAP) jawans.  All the magistrates have been asked to get tough with the potential troublemakers and in this connection strict orders have been imposed for closing down the liquor shops.

“No cell phones will be allowed inside the strong room. However, water bottles, launch boxes are allowed for the representatives of the political parties and candidates,” informed an official.