The East Singhbhum district administration is gearing up to make all the necessary arrangements for the counting of votes on May 16. According to information, the administration will deploy 22 magistrates and 77 police officials to supervise the vote counting exercise that will kick off sharply at 8 am at the strong room, Jamshedpur Co-operative College, amid the presence of Special Armed Police (SAP) jawans.
The Deputy Commissioner-cum-returning officer, for the Jamshedpur Parliamentary constituency, Amitabh Kaushal has asked the personnel involved in counting exercise to report at the strong room before 6 am, however, the political parties representatives will be allowed inside the strong room sometime around the start of the counting exercise. Kaushal also convened a meeting with candidates and representatives of candidate contesting for the Jamshedpur Parliamentary seat on Friday.
Sources informed that at first counting of postal ballots will be carried out by the DC-cum-district Returning Officer at his table. Thereafter counting of EVM votes will commence. There will be Assembly-wise arrangement of counting halls. There are six counting halls. There would be 14 counting tables along with one table for assistant returning officer (ARO) in each counting hall.
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 SAP. All the magistrates have been asked to get tough with the potential trouble makers and in this connection strict orders have been imposed for closing down the liquor shops.
“We have already announced that all wines shops in the district will remain close on May 16, in the light of votes counting exercise and ensure fool proof safety arrangements,” informed an official.The counting will get off sharply at 8 a.m. and by 4.30 in the evening the exercise will possibly culminate including, the formality of handing over the merit certificate to the winning candidate.
Meanwhile, in every nook and corner of the city the discussions are on full swing over the fate of contestants in fray for lok Sabha. “The only topic we had for discussion in our office was about counting. People have their own opinion but I certainly feel that Vidyut Baran Mahto is the local favourite,” said Amlan Chakravarty, an employee of a private bank.