Lok Sabha results may get delayed due to VVPAT: Mudgal
| Date :22-May-2019 |
District Collector Ashwin Mudgal addressing the press conference about counting arrangements on Tuesday as Additional Collector Shrikant Phadke, Deputy District Election Officer Rajlaxmi Shah and District Information Officer Anil Gadekar look on.
Staff Reporter:
While first trend from Nagpur and Ramtek parliamentary constituencies would be available by 10 am, final result, however, may get delayed due to VVPAT. Stating this, District Collector Ashwin Mudgal on Tuesday informed that Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced new set of protocols for purpose of transparency and this would also have an impact on counting process. He was briefing mediapersons about counting arrangements at Kalamna Market Yard. Counting of votes starts by taking up postal ballot for which separate table is arranged in the counting hall.
Police personeel deployed at Kalamna market yard for counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections. (Pic by Satish Raut)
This year, ECI has introduced electronically transmitted postal ballot to cut down on the time in sending ballots for use by personnel of armed forces. Simultaneously control units of EVM would be disbursed among 20 tables in each arena in the counting halls of Nagpur and Ramtek Lok Sabha seat respectively and counting process gets under way from 8 am onwards. Normally first round takes nearly an hour or so for completion and thereafter follow-up process of tabulation of result, first manually and then electronically is done. After the figures of two sheets match, the sheet is again cross checked by micro observer, supervisor and would then be submitted to returning officer (RO).
From their tabulation sheet go to election observer who then okays and result of the round is finalised and announced, Mudgal informed. Nearly 448 personnel are deployed respectively in Nagpur as well as Ramtek constituency for counting of votes. This year District has increased number of counting table to speed-up the process. During last Lok Sabha counting only 14 tables used to be there and this is norm in the country. But Nagpur got special permission from ECI owing to ample availability of space to go for extra tables. In Nagpur, the South-West Assembly segment is going to have maximum counting rounds, 19 and in Ramtek it would be Kamptee that will have 25 rounds.
Minimum rounds will be of Central Assembly segment about 16 in Nagpur seat and 17 in case of Katol segment in Ramtek. Hingna assembly segment will also have 22 round of counting. The Collector said ECI has also given instructions about use of VVPATs and five are to be chosen from each assembly segment for tallying of votes. They are divided in four categories namely one whose control unit and counting is done, second according to Rule 56 (D) that are utilised during counting, third where recounting is allowed by returning officer and in four five VVPATs to be picked up randomly. However VVPATs that have already taken up for procedure will not be eligible for draw of lots as in Nagpur District there were 2065 polling booths.
The counting process starts with opening of strong room at 6.30 am and then transporting control units of EVMs and VVPATs to counting arena at two halls in Kalamna Market yard. Meticulous planning is done for transportation of Control Units in separate coloured Maruti Omni vans to avoid confusion. They would even take separate roads to reach the counting halls and entire process is going to be captured through CCTVs. Security: Collector further said that a three layered security set-up is in place at counting venue. First is that of jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) they would guarding counting hall gates and also 100 metres area in Kalamna Market. Personnel of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) would form the second ring and local police would handle security outside market area.