Gurugram gears up for vote counting on March 12

The district is set for vote counting of five municipal bodies on Wednesday, with 1,400 police deployed for security and transparency measures in place.

The district administration has completed preparations for the vote counting process for five municipal bodies, scheduled for Wednesday, officials said on Monday. district election officer (DEO) and deputy commissioner (DC) Ajay Kumar has directed all returning officers (ROs) to ensure transparency and impartiality, strictly adhering to State Election Commission (SEC) guidelines.

Polling officials go to a voting booth after the Gurugram elections. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The vote counting process will begin at 8am at all counting centres, officials said. To maintain transparency, results of each round will be announced through loudspeakers outside the centres, they added. According to election officers, one counting centre has been set up for each of the following municipal bodies: Municipal Corporation of Manesar, Municipal Council Sohna, Municipal Council Pataudi Jatauli Mandi, and Municipal Committee Farrukhnagar. Meanwhile, six counting centres have been designated for the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram at Government Girls College, Sector 14.

To prevent disruptions, a strict security cordon will be in place inside and outside the counting centres,with 1,400 police personnel deployed at all critical locations across the district, officials said. Each counting centre will have 30 police officers, they added. “Adequate arrangements for drinking water, sanitation, electricity supply, and food for election staff will be ensured throughout the counting process,” said DC Kumar during a meeting with officials at the Mini Secretariat conference hall.

He also instructed ROs to issue entry passes to counting agents of candidates, ensuring they take their designated places before counting begins. “Once counting starts, no new entries will be allowed inside the centres,” officials added.

The first phase of training for counting staff was conducted on Monday at Apparel House, Sector 44. “Even a minor error can impact results,” DC Kumar said, urging personnel to clarify their doubts with their respective assistant returning officers and returning officers before election day.

The second phase of randomisation of the counting staff was conducted on Monday, assigning personnel to different municipal bodies as per SEC guidelines. The third and final phase will take place on March 12 before counting begins, during which counting staff will be assigned specific tables to ensure impartiality.