Parties on the edge as Munugodu counts votes today

Hyderabad: With countdown for the counting of votes having begun, the two main parties TRS and BJP are tensed up though outwardly both the parties exude confidence that they would emerge as the winners.

Wile the TRS feels that even the exit polls had predicted their victory, the BJP feels that there has been a silent voting and their candidate was sure to win. The Congress party too claimed on Saturday that they will win.

Meanwhile, high security arrangements were made for counting in Nalgonda town. The vote counting will be conducted in 15 rounds on 21 tables and the final result is expected to be out by afternoon.

Sources said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao spoke to Energy minister and Nalgonda district in-charge G Jagadish Reddy about the arrangements for counting votes and instructed the minister to send leaders who know the process of counting of votes as the agents.

The State Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said the strong room containing polled EVMs will be opened in the presence of Observers, contesting candidates/Election Agents at 7:30 am. A three-layered security has been provided at the counting centres with the inner core area being manned by Central forces while the outer two layers are fortified with the State Police.

The CEO said that the counting of votes will be taken up from 8:00 am at Telangana State Warehousing Corporation Godowns. After 30 minutes (8:30 AM) of the commencement of postal ballot counting, the EVM counting will commence. 21 tables were arranged, and counting will be completed in 15 rounds. In each round of counting, the Observer will cross check the result of 2 randomly selected polling stations with the result sheet on the table. After completion of EVM counting, mandatory counting of 5 (five) randomly selected VVPATs slips will be taken at VCB (VVPAT counting booth).

A total of 2,25,192 votes were polled registering 93.13 per cent (Postal ballot not included) in 298 polling stations, official said.