Asem Bhakta, Special Correspondent North East
Imphal: (Waari Singbul Network) Final preparations are in place for the counting of votes in the 18th Lok Sabha elections, with focus on two Parliamentary Constituencies in Manipur, stated a press release by the Chief Electoral Officer Manipur, Pradeep Kumar Jha.
The Election Commission of India has ensured all necessary arrangements, including a three-layer security cordon at all counting centers, to prevent unauthorized access. Authorized media personnel with valid passes and counting agents will be allowed entry.
Vote counting will take place at 24 centers across 11 districts: Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Churachandpur, and Jiribam. A total of 50 counting halls have been designated for the process. Specifically, five halls are allocated for counting Postal Ballots and ETPBS at the headquarters of the two Returning Officers for Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary Constituencies. The remaining 45 halls will handle the counting of EVMs and VVPATs.
The Election Commission of India has appointed 25 Counting Observers, who will arrive prior to the counting date. Each counting hall will have an ECIL engineer on hand for EVM counting. The counting process will commence at 8:00 AM, and authorized counting agents are instructed to arrive early to participate in the opening of the strong rooms.
Training for Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, and other counting officials, including Micro Observers, has been completed. The entire counting process will be monitored via CCTV and videography. Updates for each counting round will be available through the ENCORE application and accessible to the public via the Voter Turnout Mobile Application and results.eci.gov.in.
As the world’s largest electoral exercise reaches its critical final phase, all eyes will be on Manipur as votes are tallied. With meticulous preparations and stringent security in place, the Election Commission aims to ensure a transparent and efficient counting process, reflecting the will of the people in this historic democratic event.
