Counting day arrives for West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry
Counting of votes for Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will begin on Monday amid tight contests involving the TMC, DMK, BJP, Congress and Left parties. The Election Commission has arranged extensive security and monitoring measures
New Delhi/Kolkata/Chennai: Counting of votes will be held on Monday in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal after a riveting high-voltage contest, with the outcome crucial for prominent ruling regional parties like the TMC and DMK, as well as the BJP, Congress and the Left.
The exercise will begin at 8 am, starting with postal ballots, at the counting centres, which will have a three-tier security system. In a first, the Election Commission has introduced a QR code-based Photo Identity Card system through ECINET to prevent unauthorised entry into counting centres.
Votes will be counted across 77 centres for 293 Assembly seats in West Bengal, which has witnessed unprecedented security deployment this time and an acrimony-filled run-up to result day, with both the ruling TMC and opposition BJP expressing apprehensions over vote manipulation.
The two-phase polls in the state ended on April 29, with the highest-ever voter turnout of 92.47 per cent since Independence.
The election was countermanded in one constituency, Falta, in South 24 Parganas district due to “severe electoral offences” and fresh polls will be held there on May 21.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) is hoping to win its fourth consecutive term by overcoming a spirited challenge from the main opposition BJP, while the CPI(M) and the Congress are trying to reclaim a foothold following their wipeout in the 2021 polls. Smaller parties like Humayun Kabir’s AJUP and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM are also trying their luck in some crucial pockets.
The poll body has scaled down the number of counting centres this year to 77 from 87 announced earlier, and 108 in 2021, while putting in place a multi-layered security grid.
“Comprehensive security arrangements have been made to ensure that counting is conducted in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner,” a senior EC official said.
The EC has deployed 165 additional counting observers and 77 police observers. It has introduced stringent access control measures at the counting centres, including banning mobile phones except for returning officers and observers.
The BJP-led NDA is hoping for a hat-trick in Assam. EVMs holding the electoral fate of 722 hopefuls from 126 Assembly constituencies in the state will be opened at 40 counting centres across 35 districts.
Twenty-five companies, comprising around 100 personnel each, of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed to guard the counting centres and strongrooms housing the electronic voting machines (EVMs). Two additional CAPF companies will be kept on static duty, while 93 companies of state armed police have been deployed in the districts, officials said.
Polling in the state was held on April 9, with an 85.96 per cent turnout.
Among the 722 candidates, the Congress has fielded the highest number at 99, followed by the BJP with 90, AIUDF with 30, NDA allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) with 26 and Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) with 11 nominees.
In the opposition alliance, Raijor Dal contested 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad 10, CPI(M) three and All Party Hill Leaders Conference two.
Among the high-profile candidates are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP, Congress state unit chief Gaurav Gogoi, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, and Raijor Dal chief and MP Akhil Gogoi.
In Kerala, buoyed by its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and recent local body elections, the Congress-led UDF is hoping to oust the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has been in power for two terms, while the BJP-led NDA is attempting to gain a foothold in the state with its bipolar polity.
A defeat for the LDF would also mark the first time since the 1960s that Left parties are not in power in any Indian state.
A total of 883 candidates contested the election for 140 seats in the state. There are 140 counting centres across 43 locations.
Officials said 15,464 personnel have been deployed for the exercise, comprising 140 returning officers, 1,340 additional returning officers, 4,208 micro observers, 4,208 counting supervisors and 5,563 counting assistants.
As many as 25 companies of central forces have been deployed alongside state police personnel to guard the counting centres.
The BJP-led NDA, although not in contention to form the government, views the election as crucial to expanding its footprint in Kerala after failing to win any seats in 2021.
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu is hoping for a second consecutive term after contesting in a changed political arena, as apart from its main rival AIADMK, there are new entrants like actor-politician Vijay-led TVK and Tamil nationalist Seeman’s NTK.
All arrangements are in place, including a comprehensive three-tier security plan, for counting of votes on May 4 at the 62 designated counting centres across the state, Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu, Archana Patnaik said.
Approximately 1.25 lakh personnel, including officials and micro-observers on vote-counting duty and police personnel, have been deployed.
As many as 234 counting halls have been arranged for EVMs. An additional 240 halls have been designated for the counting of postal ballots and electronically transmitted postal ballots (ETPBs). A total of 10,545 counting personnel have been drafted for counting duty, supported by 4,624 micro-observers.
The Election Commission has deputed 234 counting observers, one for each Assembly constituency, to oversee the counting proceedings.
In Puducherry, six counting centres have been set up across the Union Territory.
The NDA, comprising AINRC, BJP, AIADMK and LJK, faces a challenge from the INDIA bloc comprising the Congress, DMK and VCK.
Counting of votes will also be held in eight seats in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, Gujarat and Maharashtra where bypolls were held last month following the death of sitting MLAs.
The eight constituencies are Ponda in Goa, Bagalkot and Davanagere South in Karnataka, Koridang in Nagaland, Dharmanagar in Tripura, Umreth in Gujarat, and Rahuri and Baramati in Maharashtra.
