Counting of votes tomorrow; arrangements completed in capital dist

T'puram: All arrangements for counting votes in assembly elections in the district have been completed, district election officer Anu Kumari said on Saturday. Counting will begin at the counting centres set up at Mar Ivanios Vidyanagar, Nalanchira at 8am on Monday.A total of 3,173 polling booths across 14 constituencies in the district will be covered. These include Varkala, Attingal, Chirayinkeezhu, Nedumangad, Vamanapuram, Kazhakkoottam, Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram, Nemom, Aruvikkara, Parassala, Kattakada, Kovalam and Neyyattinkara. To coordinate the process, district election office and a camp office will function at the venue. Each counting centre has been equipped with 12 to 14 tables for EVM counting, four to nine tables for postal ballots and one to four tables for counting electronically transmitted postal ballots. Officials said final results are expected after 17 to 20 rounds of counting. As many as 930 officials, including supervisors, micro observers and counting assistants, have been deployed for the process. Entry to the counting centres will be strictly regulated through passes or identity cards. Dedicated parking facilities and signboards have been arranged, along with three help desks. A food court operated by Kudumbashree will also function at the venue. Political party candidates and agents have been instructed to wear visible identity cards, report at least one hour before counting with necessary documents and strictly follow the directions of the returning officers. They are barred from handling EVMs and must maintain the secrecy of voting as mandated by law. Media personnel have been permitted to cover the proceedings under strict guidelines, including restrictions on filming individual vote counts and the use of tripods inside the hall. Only Election Commission observers and returning officers will be allowed to use mobile phones inside the counting hall, while others must deposit their devices outside. An official ‘Index Card' report compiling election data will be prepared and submitted to the Election Commission within 48 hours after verification, authorities added in a statement.