PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti during their election campaigns.
Jammu/srinagar, June 3
A day ahead of the counting of votes for the Jammu and Kashmir Lok Sabha constituencies along with rest of the country, three-tier security has been activated in and around the counting centres in the Union Territory, as additional security personnel have been deployed at key places in the Valley.
Ahead of the counting of votes, the Returning Officers of the constituencies have held meetings with contesting candidates, election agents and representatives of political parties contesting in each of the Lok Sabha seats to familiarise them with the standard procedure of counting process prescribed by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The administration has fully trained the staff and sensitised all polling agents for the counting process. This includes a detailed examination of the deployment of paramilitary and police personnel as well as the set up for counting staff and agents.
A three-tier security blanket has been thrown around the counting centres in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag to ensure that no unauthorised person enters the premises, they said. A tight vigil has been maintained around the strong rooms where electronic voting machines have been kept since the close of polling in respective constituencies.
There are 66 candidates in the fray for the three Lok Sabha seats of Kashmir Valley. Among the key candidates for the three seats are president of PDP Mehbooba Mufti, vice president of National Conference Omar Abdullah, separatist turned mainstream politician Sajad Gani Lone and former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail in a UAPA case.
In Jammu and Kathua, the counting of over 23.94 lakh votes will determine the fate of 34 candidates, including senior BJP leader and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, current Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and former ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Raman Bhalla of the Congress.
“All arrangements are in place for the June 4 vote counting. Three-tier security has been implemented,” said Returning Officer and Jammu District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya.
Vaishya, who reviewed the security measures, logistics and essential amenities at the counting venues, said the counting process will take place in the Polytechnic College and MAM College.
“Votes from the seven assembly constituencies will be counted at MAM College, while 11 constituencies will be tallied at Polytechnic College,” he added.
“All counting staff are fully trained and all political parties and their agents have been briefed and issued I-cards. The arrangements are comprehensive, covering traffic and security,” Vaishya said. CCTV cameras have been installed and videography arrangements are in place at the counting centers.
In Kathua, three-tier security is also in place for the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency counting scheduled for Tuesday. Kathua Superintendent of Police Anayat Ali Choudhary, who took a review visit of the area, said that elaborate security arrangements have been made.
Choudhary said that enhanced security has been deployed along the International Border (IB) and inter-district checkpoints to monitor and prevent any anti-social or anti-national activities.
The counting center for Udhampur Lok Sabha seat is set up at the Government Degree College, Kathua, equipped with multi-tier security and 24×7 CCTV surveillance.
“Votes from 18 assembly segments, including Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar, will be counted in designated halls. Three halls are designated for counting Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) votes,” said Returning Officer Dr Rakesh Minhas.
A total of 225 tables, each staffed by three personnel, will facilitate the counting process. Sixty tables are designated for ETPBS votes, each with a counting agent, a micro observer, a supervisor and an Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), the officials said.
The CCTV footage of the EVM strong rooms has been shared with the political parties’ representatives. Nearly 10,000 staff members will handle the entire counting process, including transferring Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from strong rooms to counting halls, they added. (With PTI inputs)
