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New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) As Bihar prepares for the crucial vote count on Friday, election officials, political parties and thousands of officials have made final arrangements for a tightly scheduled, highly secured and closely monitored process that will determine control of the 243-seat assembly.
Counting will begin at 8 am, starting with postal ballots, followed by counting of votes on electronic voting machines (EVMs) half an hour later.
This is the first assembly election in Bihar after a gap of more than two decades, following the Covid pandemic and the introduction of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists this year.
Officials have stressed that the EVMs are sealed in strongrooms under a double-lock system and strict protocols govern their movement and handling throughout the night and till the counting day.
After counting, five polling stations per constituency are randomly selected for Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification. The slips are matched with the EVM results in the presence of the candidates and their counting agents.
Broad trends are expected by afternoon and final results by evening.
Since this exercise involves EVMs with VVPAT, the counting process involves a mix of machine-read tally and VVPAT verification.
Once the EVMs are placed on the counting tables and the mandatory testing is done, the machines are operated to extract candidate-wise vote totals.
In select booths and constituencies, officials will also count the VVPAT slips as per the rules. These slips are cross-checked with the EVM totals to confirm the integrity of the recorded votes.
Counting of votes will proceed in prescribed batches based on the number of polling stations and EVMs assigned to each constituency. Each counting table would handle a defined set of machines and repeatedly record the subtotals on official forms.
The returning officers will collect the sub-totals, tally the VVPAT checks, and publish the official constituency-wise totals, which will then determine the winners and victory margins.
Any discrepancy or challenge during the count triggers immediate procedural checks and logs to ensure issues are resolved on the spot rather than disputing claims later.
Incidentally, Bihar voters created a milestone this time with a record 67.13 per cent turnout.
Earlier in Bihar, there was 62.57 percent voting in the 2020 assembly elections and 64.6 percent voting in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, none of the 2,616 candidates sought re-polling, nor did the 12 recognized political parties.
The Election Commission of India has made arrangements for counting of votes in all assembly constituencies, where 243 returning officers (ROs) will exercise in the presence of 243 counting observers and party candidates or their agents.
In total, 4,372 counting tables have been set up, each with a counting observer, assistants and micro-observers, and more than 18,000 counting agents representing candidates will monitor the process.
The presence of central observers, state election officials and candidate agents is intended to add layered oversight; The counting halls will be open to authorized candidate agents whose attendance has been recorded and permitted under strict rules.
Security has been tightened around the counting sites. Central paramilitary forces have been deployed to provide the internal security cordon, while the state police maintain the outer perimeter.
Additionally, CCTV surveillance and video recording of the entire counting process has been arranged to ensure transparency and provide an audit trail in case of any dispute.
To reduce the scope for allegations or misunderstandings, the Commission and the concerned district administration have strengthened the practice of video-recording the counting and allowed candidate agents to be present during every stage from opening of the strongroom to vote tabulation.
District Magistrates have imposed prohibition on political processions, rallies or mass gatherings near the counting sites during the counting period and through the immediate post-announcement window to prevent any disturbances.
–IANS
JB/SVN