Six-week jittery wait to end today

Warangal/Mahabubabad: Preparations have been in place for the counting of votes polled in Lok Sabha elections for Warangal (SC) and Mahabubabad Lok Sabha (ST) constituencies, thus ending a six-week jittery wait for the candidates in the fray.

The returning officer (RO) and Urban District Collector Prashanth Jeevan Patil said that votes in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be counted Assembly-segment wise.

For each round of counting, 14 tables have been put up. A counting supervisor, micro-observer and an assistant have been deputed to each table.

The poll process commences with the authorities bringing EVM boxes to the counting halls from the strong rooms. Later they ensure that the seal on the boxes are intact in the presence of the counting agents. Postal ballots and service votes will be counted before the EVMs.

The counting begins after verifying the serial numbers of the EVMs. The EVMs for the next round of counting will be brought from the strong rooms only after the process of the previous round is completed.

The number of rounds for each Assembly segment: Bhupalpally 24, Station Ghanpur and Palakurthy 22 each, Wardhannapet 20, Warangal West and Parkal 18 each, and Warangal East 16.

In all, 126 each counting supervisors and counting assistants, and 143 micro observers have been deputed for the smooth conduct of the counting. The entire process would be videographed.

Continued on P2