All set for counting of votes

Rajamahendravaram: The counting of votes will be done in the premises of the strong rooms where the EVMs are secured within the respective districts. Kakinada in the Kakinada district, Rajahmundry in East Godavari district, and Amalapuram in the Ambedkar Konaseema district became venues for the counting. The counting process starts at 8 am in all these centers. The Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot (ETPB) votes are counted first, followed by the Postal Ballot (PB) votes. It is expected to take half an hour.

Even if the ETPB and PB vote counting is not completed by then, the counting of the votes deposited in the EVMs will also start parallel at 8.30 am. It is said that half an hour duration is inevitable for the first and second rounds. After that, each round will take 20 minutes, officials said. The result pattern is expected to be clear by 11 am on Tuesday. Counting and declaration of results of more than half of the constituencies are likely to be completed by 3 pm. Full clarity is expected to take till evening.

799 ETPB votes were cast in the Kakinada district, 600 in the Konaseema, and 405 in the East Godavari district. 18,532 employees' postal ballot votes were cast in the Kakinada district, 17000 in Ambedkar Konaseema district, and 15,383 in the East Godavari district. 83.84 percent of polling was recorded in the Konaseema district, 80.93 percent in East Godavari district, and 80.30 percent in Kakinada district.

Political parties feel that this time the result depends on the support of youth, women, and old age people who voted in large numbers. Officials say that the first result will come from Jaggampeta in the Kakinada district, Kovvur in the East Godavari, and Razole in the Konaseema district. In view of the highest number of rounds, the final result is expected to be for the Kakinada Rural, Rajamahendravaram Rural, and Kothapeta constituencies.