CCTV surveillance for all counting tables in Chennai

The district election office has installed CCTV cameras covering all the counting tables to prevent misconduct during the counting on Tuesday.

Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Chennai Corporation Commissioner and district election officer, said that 10 to 14 tables have been set up at the counting centers for counting. In total, votes polled on Saturday will be counted at the 15 counting centers.

“We have drafted around 2,400 election officials to count the votes. Also, 7,200 police personnel from Chennai, Tambaram and Avadi police commissionerate will man the counting centers,” Bedi added.

On Monday, a training session was conducted for the counting officials at Ripon Building.

“CCTV cameras have been installed at all the tables. Also, cameras are installed inside and outside of strong rooms, where EVMs are stored. Police have formed three layer security at the counting centers,” he added.

Bedi said that the counting will start at 8 am. However, counting officials will arrive at the centers between 5 am and 6 am.

“We have instructed the candidates and their agents to be present before 7 am. They will not be allowed to carry mobile phones inside the counting centers,” he clarified.

Postal ballots will be counted first followed by votes polled in EVMs.

The civic body has distributed 14,000 postal ballot forms. But, only 6,867 postal ballots have been arrived till Monday. Postal ballots that arrive before 8 am on the counting day will be allowed.

Even as arrangement has been made to announce the results, the Chennai Corporation expects results for all the wards will be out by afternoon.

In additional monitoring, three micro observers will monitor the counting process while IAS officials will monitor zone-wise progress. Bedi made it clear that candidates and their agents will be allowed into the counting centers only if they wear face masks.

Meanwhile, in Vellore a total of 18 rounds are planned for the counting of votes for 58 wards of the Vellore Corporation, Collector Kumaravel Pandian said on Monday.

Only candidates of the ward being counted and their agents would be allowed inside the counting hall and once counting was over, they would have to leave while candidates of the next ward to be counted and their agents would be ushered in, he added. banning crackers.

Only 30 per cent polling was recorded in the repolling held in booths in Chennai on Monday. As less than 45 per cent of the voters turned out to vote in urban local body elections on Saturday, a majority of voters in the areas, where repolling was conducted stayed back at home.

According to a polling official, only 281 voters were polled on Monday repolling in ward 51 up to 6 pm. Repolling was ordered in a Washermenpet polling booth (No. 1174) in ward 51 after a violent incident stalled polling on Saturday. The booth has 963 voters but percentage was only 29.17 per cent.

Similarly, repolling was conducted in Besant Nagar Odaikuppam polling station (No 5059) in ward 179. Even though the booth has 1,326 voters in the booth, only 188 votes were polled till 11 am. Repolling was ordered after some persons damaged voting machines.