28 counting centres set up across J&K; counting will begin at 8 AM, says CEO Pole
Jammu Tawi, Oct 7: Counting of votes for 90 Assembly constituencies will begin in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning, the final lap of an electoral journey that will give the union territory its first elected government since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K, Pandurang K Pole said that the counting of votes for the General Elections to JK Assembly 2024 will commence at 8 AM on October 8, 2024 and 28 counting centres have been established for 90 assembly constituencies in 20 districts of the UT.
“There are 28 counting centres across the J&K and we are fully prepared for the counting,” P K Pole said. He added that all the EVMs are securely placed in the strong rooms of all district headquarters.
The CEO further remarked that comprehensive security arrangements have been made for the counting and three-tier security cover has been established around counting centres.
Pole stated that adequate checkpoints have been set up within a 100-meter perimeter of each counting centre and CCTV cameras have been installed in all strong rooms where the EVMs are stored to closely monitor all activities. “Unauthorized individuals will be restricted from entering these areas and CCTV cameras have been installed at the main entrance and throughout the entire premises of the counting centres to ensure comprehensive monitoring”, the CEO added.
Pole stated that the counting will begin at 8 AM on October 8 and Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) after 30 minutes, adding that accurate information on each round of counting will be uploaded in a timely manner.
The CEO outlined that on the counting day, strong rooms will be opened in presence of candidates, their authorized representatives, Returning Officers (ROs)/Assistant Returning Officers (AROs), and ECI observers and the entire process will be videographed. He added that mobile phones will not be allowed inside the counting centres.
Pole further said that two counting centres each have been set up for the Kupwara, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur and Reasi Districts, three counting centres have been set up for migrants while one counting centre each has been established for the remaining districts, where the counting will take place. He added that to monitor the counting process, various counting observers have also been appointed by Election Commission of India.
Pole further said that Media centres have been set up at the counting centres for the press to access the latest updates, adding that only authorized personnel would be allowed entry into the counting centres. He also said that instructions have been given to closely monitor social media to prevent the spread of any rumours related to the counting.
The Congress-National Conference alliance, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the main stakeholders in the keenly watched assembly election that comes five years after the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
As political parties assessed their chances, the administration was busy on Monday finalising arrangements, including security, at designated centres across all 20 district headquarters.
The first assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014 were held over three phases.
Of the 90 seats in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region, 24 voted in the first phase, 26 in the second and 40 in the third. The fate of 873 candidates, vying for a seat in the 90-member house, has been sealed and known by Tuesday evening.
The turnout was 63.45 per cent, less than the 65.52 percent recorded in the 2014 assembly elections.
Prominent among those in the fray are NC leader Omar Abdullah (contesting from Budgam and Ganderbal assembly segments), Sajad Gani Lone of People’s Conference (from Handwara and Kupwara seats), Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hamid Karra (Batamaloo) and BJP state president Ravindra Raina (Nowshera seat).
The other notable contestants are AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir (Dooru), PDP leaders Waheed Para (Pulwama), Iltija Mufti (Bijbehara), Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari (Chanapora), CPI(M) veteran Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (Kulgam) and former deputy chief ministers Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Tara Chand.
The exit polls on Saturday have put the NC-Congress alliance in pole position with the regional party getting the lion’s share of the seats.
The BJP is expected to slightly improve on its tally of 25 seats which it had won in the 2014 assembly polls while the PDP, which had won 28 seats in the polls held 10 years ago, is predicted to win less than 10 seats this time.
If the exit polls are to be believed, new and emerging parties, including the People’s Conference, Apni Party, Democratic Azad Party of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Awami Ittehad Party of Lok Sabha member Sheikh Abdul Rashid, don’t stand much of a chance.
These parties along with independents are expected to win around 10 seats.
A day ahead of the results, the politics was already hotting up.
