LS polls: Preparations completed for vote counting in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The Election Commission has completed all the preparations for vote counting in Tamil Nadu which will commence at 8 am on June 4, an official said.

He said that postal votes would be counted first as per Rule 54A of the Conduct of Election Rules 1961.

“The Counting of votes polled in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will commence at 8.30 am,” the official said.

Around 950 candidates are in the fray for 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu which recorded 69.72 per cent voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections, with Dharmapuri recording the highest turnout at 81.20 per cent while Chennai Central registered the lowest at 53.96 per cent.

The election officials said that 39 counting centres across the state and 38,000 personnel will be involved in the counting exercise.

“Elaborate arrangements are in place in 234 rooms located in 43 buildings in these 39 counting centres,” the official said, adding that, the counting for the Vilavancode assembly by-election will also be held simultaneously.

He said that at least 3200 counting tables have been arranged across the state with 14 tables in each counting room.

“Additional tables will be set up if there is a necessity and the counting of votes in each of the counting tables will be videotaped,” he said.

The official said that each of the counting tables would be assigned one counting supervisor (Gazetted Officer or equivalent), one counting assistant, multiple counting staff (Group D employee) and one micro observer.

“The counting agents and others will not be allowed to go outside the counting centre during the counting process. They would be allowed to go outside only after the declaration of the results according to the Handbook for Returning Officer 2023 published by the Election Commission of India,” the official said.

He said that after the process of counting of votes is completed at a centre, the respective Returning Officer (RO) will prepare the final result sheet which will have details of the number of votes polled by each candidate.

“The ROs will then have to proceed to make the formal declaration of the result of the election Form 21C in case of all the 39 Lok Sabha seats and 21D in case of the Vilavancode by-election,” he said.

The official said that if two candidates contesting any seat happen to secure the highest number of votes and their votes are equal in number then the result will have to be declared by a draw of lots.