Kolkata : Counting begins in Bhabanipur assembly constituency

Counting of votes began at 8 am on Sunday in Kolkata’s Bhawanipur and Murshidabad’s Samserganj and Jangipur assembly constituencies amid tight security. Counting of votes is underway at Sakhawat Memorial School, Kolkata. According to commission sources, the counting of votes will take place in 21 rounds for Bhawanipur constituency, 26 rounds for Samserganj and 24 rounds for Jangipur constituency.

Tight security arrangements have been made at all the counting centers in the state. 24 companies of central forces have been deployed at the counting centers and the entire area has been kept under CCTV surveillance. Officials said that only pen and paper would be allowed there and only the returning officer and supervisor would be allowed to use the phone.

Eight CCTV cameras have been installed in the EVM strong room and the results will be declared after 21 rounds of counting. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC have been imposed within 200 meters of counting centers in all the three constituencies that went to polls on September 30. The election commission official said that candidates and their agents, who have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the infection, will be allowed to enter the counting venues.

He said that all officers and agents have been asked to follow the COVID-19 protocol. The entire focus of the country is on Bhawanipur, from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is up against Priyanka Tibrewal of BJP and Shrijib Biswas of CPI(M). He has to win the assembly elections to retain the CM’s chair. Polling was canceled following the death of one candidate each in Jangipur and Samserganj in Murshidabad district.

More than 57 per cent polling was recorded in Bhawanipur. Samserganj and Jangipur recorded high turnout rates of 79.92 per cent and 77.63 per cent respectively.