Punjab Election results 2022: Which way will the wind blow?

Gaurav Kanthwal

Mohali, March 9

The fate of 40 candidates in the three Assembly seats — Dera Bassi, Kharar and Mohali — in the district will be known by late tomorrow afternoon or latest by the evening. Election Commission officials are all set for the counting of votes for the three Assembly seats in the district.

District Magistrate-cum-District Electoral Officer Isha Kalia said all preparations regarding the counting of votes and necessary security arrangements had been put in place according to the guidelines of the Election Commission of India.

The counting of votes will start at two centres — Sports Complex, Sector 78, for the Mohali Assembly seat, and Rattan Professional College, Sector 78, for the Kharar and Dera Bassi Assembly seats — at 8 am.

Counting to start at 8 am

• The strongroom will be unlocked in the presence of observers and candidates/election agents and the counting of votes will start at 8 am in which postal ballots will be counted first.
• Two counting halls and 16 tables have been set up for each constituency. A counting agent will be appointed for each table and identity cards will be issued at the officer level. The counting agent will not be allowed to go to any table other than his own.
• The counting of votes will be done in 23 rounds for 316 polling booths of the Kharar seat and 320 polling booths of Dera Bassi, and 20 rounds for 271 polling booths of the Mohali seat.

Factfile

• 66.72% of the 7.94 lakh voters have sealed the fate of 40 candidates in 3 Assembly seats of Dera Bassi, Kharar and Mohali in the district
• The voting in the district was 5.1% less than the 2017 Assembly poll
• 907 polling booths where EVMs were placed on February 20

Three-tier security arrangements by the CAPF, armed police and the district police in the outer ring has been put in place.

2 SPs deputed for each constituency

Two SPs have been deployed for each constituency at the counting centres along with a police force. Only pedestrians are allowed within 1-km radius of the centres and no vehicles will be allowed in the area. —Harjeet Singh, Mohali SSP

The area within 1-km radius of the centres has been made vehicle-free with only pedestrians allowed with identity cards. The police have barricaded the area within a radius of 500 metres and 300 metres of the counting centres to ensure security. Prohibitory measures under Section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in the district and gathering of people outside the counting centres is prohibited The District Electoral Officer said the entire counting process would be videographed. The use of drones in the area has been banned for security reasons.

“The Election Commission of India has banned any kind of victory procession after the counting of votes. Only two persons can accompany the candidate at the time of issuance of the election certificate. The District Electoral Officer has asked all returning officers to ensure strict compliance with these orders. Monitoring teams have also been deployed by the administration to monitor any violation,” Kalia said.

Officials of the district administration said the counting day had been declared a dry day and all liquor vends in the 3-km vicinity of the district boundaries would also remain closed.

Mobiles not allowed inside centres

Mobile phones, pens, pencils, any kind of ammunition or any drug is not allowed in any of the counting centres. Admission to the counting centres will be through identity card.