As more tables to be set up for counting in 22 dists
With the Election Commission of India (ECI) allowing provision of setting up of additional tables in the counting halls of 22 districts, the declaration of election results of 63 Assembly seats will come earlier.
For the Odisha Assembly, which has 147 members, election was held in 146 seats. So, declaration of results will take more time in the 83 Assembly seats. Patkura Assembly seat poll has been postponed.
Earlier only 14 tables were allowed for counting; now the ECI has approved the provision of more number of tables in the approved counting halls of 22 districts covering 63 Assembly seats. There are 107 Assembly seats in these 22 districts.
While the counting of Lok Sabha votes was to be held in 14 tables across the country, in Odisha as it had gone for simultaneous polls, there was to be seven tables each for the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assembly.
Out of 30 districts, 22 district administrations have been allowed to put more number of tables as there are more spaces available in their approved counting halls, officials say.
As these 22 districts were having more spaces in counting halls, accordingly Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar was approached by those district administrations, who were having more space to set more number of tables in the counting halls, said sources.
Official sources said Kumar recommended the cases to the commission and the latter approved it.
Districts like Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Deograh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrakh, Dhenkanal, Angul, Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Boudh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput have been allowed to set more numbers of tables in the counting centres.
So, these districts will be able to count votes faster than the other eight districts. Those are Bargarh, Subarnapur, Baleswar, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Puri Nayagarh and Nabarangpur.
Besides, VVPATs will also have to be counted, also taking some more time.