IMPHAL: Preparations are in full swing for the vote count on Tuesday, June 4th, for the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in two parliamentary constituencies of Manipur.
All necessary arrangements, as outlined by the Election Commission of India (ECI), are in place. Security measures will be stringent, with a three-layered security setup at all counting centers to prevent unauthorized access.
Only authorized media personnel with valid passes and designated counting agents will be permitted entry, as stated by Manipur's Chief Electoral Officer, Pradeep Kumar Jha.
Votes will be counted at 24 centers located in 11 district headquarters, including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Churachandpur, and Jiribam. There will be a total of 50 counting halls across these centers.
Five counting halls have been designated for the counting of postal ballots and those received through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) at the offices of the returning officers for the Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur (ST) parliamentary constituencies.
The other 45 halls will be used for counting the votes recorded on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed 25 counting observers who will arrive in the state before the counting date. Each counting hall where EVM counting takes place will have an engineer from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) assigned to it. Counting will begin at 8 am in all the halls.
Candidates' authorized counting agents are advised to arrive at the counting centers promptly to participate in the opening of the strong rooms, as notified by the respective returning or assistant returning officer.
Training for returning officers, assistant returning officers, and counting officials, including micro observers, has been completed. The counting process in the halls will be monitored by CCTV cameras and recorded on video.
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