Over 12,000 personnel deployed for counting
| Date :23-May-2019 |
Staff Reporter
RAIPUR,
Over 12,000 government personnel, including 6,000 plus security personnel, have been deployed for the counting process in Chhattisgarh on Thursday. For 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh, counting will be held in 27 counting centres, for which 5,184 counting officials and 1,500 micro-observers have been appointed. Chief Electoral Officer Chhattisgarh Subrat Sahoo said unprecedented security arrangements have been made for counting in State.
Three-level security cover has been given for every counting centre. The third (outer) level will be the area circumventing at a distance of 100 metres outside the counting centre. The second (middle)-level will be at the entrance of the counting centre and will be manned by special security forces. The first (inner)-level will be at the gate of counting hall manned by CAPF personnel. Sahoo said during Lok Sabha Elections – 2019, postal ballots were issued to 41,197 election officials, of which, 22,901 (55%) postal ballots have been received. Similarly, online postal ballots were issued to 17,223 registered Service voters through ETPBS and till date 10,803 (60%) e-ballots have been received.
For every Assembly segment, 14 tables would be installed for EVM counting and separate tables will be installed for counting postal ballots. Apart from these, due to more number of polling booths, 21 tables will be installed for EVM counting in eight Assembly segments including Pandaria (71) and Kawardha (72) in Kabirdham district; Raigarh(16), Sarangarh (17) and Kharsia (18) in Raigarh district; Bilaigarh (43), Kasdol (44) and Balodabazar (45) in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district. This has been done after seeking permission from Election Commission of India. Sahoo informed that inside the Counting Hall, only five types of persons will be allowed which include Observer, Counting Returning Officer/Assistant Returning Officer; Counting Supervisors, Counting Assistants and Mirco-observers; authorised personnel permitted by ECI (media-persons), public servants deployed in counting/election duty, Contestant along with Polling and Counting Agents. Counting agents will be allowed entry only with the copy of Form-17 C (Part-1), plain papers and printed format on plain paper.
CEO Chhattisgarh informed that during counting there are six reasons against which postal ballots can be rejected. These reasons include no vote registered on postal ballot, vote registered against more than one candidate, fake ballot paper, damaged and crippled in such way that its beyond recognition, if not returned in Cover ‘B’, vote caste in such way creating suspicion/confusion against whom it has registered and if written something on it identifying the voter. Sahoo informed that till May 22, the Commission received 478 complaints through c-VIGIL App, of which, 259 complaints have been found correct and necessary action was taken while in the case of 219 complaints it was dropped, as they were incorrect. He also informed that the Commission received total 1,554 complaints, of which, 1,190 complaints were addressed while 364 are pending. Till May 22, a total cash worth Rs 7,78,03,105 have been seized along with recovery of 7144.22 liters of liquor worth Rs 12,93,588 and other materials worth Rs 85,01,269.