The pre-counting preparations for the recently concluded polls of 2014 general elections have begun in Ganjam district to ensure smooth execution of the counting.
The District Administration and the SEC officials held a meeting with the candidates of various political parties and their agents in Chatrapur on Monday to sensitise them about the various norms, procedures and guidelines to be adhered to during the counting process.
The meeting was presided over by Ganjam Collector-cum-District Election Officer Premchandra Choudhury. According to him, the strong rooms of Chhatrapur, Brahmapur and Bhanjanagar will be opened at 6 am in the morning on May 16 during which either the candidate contesting the elections or his agent can remain present. On the same day, at 8am, the postal ballots will also be opened and counted, he added.
Choudhury requested all the candidates or their agents to ensure their presence during the opening of the strong room and postal ballots and their subsequent counting.
While the postal ballots received for the Aska Parliamentary Constituency will be counted in the court room of the District Collector at Chatrapur, the postal ballots of the Brahmapur parliamentary constituency will be taken up for counting in the Conference Hall of the PD (DRDA)-cum-RO at Chhatrapur.
Briefing about the guidelines and election norms to the candidates, Choudhury said that only the candidates and their election agents, and counting agents who have been duly authorized will be allowed inside the counting center where the use of cell phones are totally prohibited. A three-tier security would be put in place in each counting center. Even the security personnel like PSOs of the candidates will not be allowed to enter inside the counting centers, he cautioned.
Choudhury explained the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to the candidates and their agents present in the meeting. It may be mentioned here that to this meeting of the candidates and their agents, Additional Counting Supervisors had been given training about different procedures and mechanisms of counting. For the purpose of counting, 243 Counting Supervisors and Additional Counting Supervisors have been appointed, sources said.