The mock drill for counting work for Assembly polls on December 8 would be held in the city a day earlier at 3 pm.
As many as 550 officers and employees would be involved in the counting exercise on December 8, an press release issued here from the District Collectorate on Wednesday stated. All necessary arrangements for the counting work had been completed at the Government Engineering College at Sejbahar. This apart, six cameras each had been installed in every hall where counting of votes would be taking place. The Counting Centre would also comprise a Media Centre.
Collector and District Election Officer Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi said that the counting work would commence at 8 am on December 8 and postal ballots would be counted first. The postal ballots would be counted on the table of the Returning Officer. He said that the counting from the Control Unit of the EVMs would commence at 8.30 am. The randomization exercise of the officers on duty would be taken up on December 7 when it will be decided on which Assembly segment they would be assigned work. Another randomization exercise would be taken up on December 8 at 5 am in which the officials would know which table thay had been assigned for duty.
Pardeshi said that a separate hall had been assigned for all seven Assembly segments.The staff who would be assigned counting duties would have to report at 6 am at the Counting Centre. All the other officials and employees would have to report at the counting table at 7 am, he said. The Strong Room would be opened at 7 am and the Returning Officer would announce the commencement of Counting at 8 am, the Collector said.
A bus had been arranged from the Collectorate which would leave at 5.30 am for the counting centre at the Government Engineering College at Sejbahar. The use of mobile phones had been banned at the Counting Centre.