Kumar Bahukhandi
Raipur : Counting of votes for Raipur City South bypoll will be held on November 23, 2024 at Government Engineering College, Sezabhaar.
Chief Election Officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale informed that the counting date for the bypoll of Assembly constituency 51-Raipur City South is fixed on Saturday, November 23, 2024 . Tomorrow counting work will be done at Government Engineering College, Sezabhaar, Raipur (Block-E). 2 Assistant Returning Officers have been appointed for the election. Apart from this, 4 additional Assistant Returning Officers have been appointed for counting votes . She said that the counting of votes will start at 8 am which may take half an hour , hence counting of postal ballots will start from from 8 am. After finishing of postal ballots , counting of votes of EVM machines will start from 8.30 am.
Chief Electoral Officer Mrs. Kangale informed that 14 tables have been set up in the counting hall for tally the votes cast in EVMs. This counting will be completed in a total of 19 rounds. 1 additional table has been arranged for counting postal ballots. Each table in the hall will have one counting supervisor, one assistant and a micro observer, who will carry out the counting work. A data compilation and uploading section has been created in the hall itself to maintain the tallied information by the Returning Officer. Candidates or counting agents of the candidates will also be able to be present in the hall, who will be able to observe the totaling work by sitting on chairs placed outside the fence in the counting hall.
She said that entry of unauthorised persons in the hall will be prohibited. The Returning Officer can ask any person to leave the premises or counting hall as per his discretion and this instruction will be binding. The instruction given by the Returning Officer in the counting hall will be universally accepted. In case of a dispute, the Returning Officer can take legal action. It is prohibited to carry electronic items such as mobile, iPad, laptop, smart watch, camera, tobacco, gutkha etc. in the counting hall.
Counting agents can carry blank paper, copy of ballot paper account format 17C part-1, list of EVM/VVPAT provided by the Returning Officer, which has been used in various polling stations of the assembly and pen/pencil in the hall. Analog calculator has been arranged on each table to sum up the counting results inside the hall. Which can be used by the candidates or their counting agents.
There will be three-tier security in the counting premises. Every person will be thoroughly checked by the security personnel at every level. It will be mandatory for every person to show his identity card to the security personnel. Round-wise information of the tally work will be uploaded in the Incore Counting Application of the Election Commission of India, which the general public can see through the link https://results.eci.gov.in.
Within 7 days from the declaration of election result, the candidate coming at serial number 2 and 3 after the candidate getting maximum votes can submit application for checking and verification of Burnt Memory/Microcontroller of maximum 5 percent EVMs (BU, CU and VVPAT) of the Assembly constituency, for which a fee of Rs 40,000+ (18% GST extra) per EVM set will be payable.
