No NOTA option for by-poll

Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner oversees arrangements

Election Observer R. Gajalakshmi (second right)and Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner S. Ganesh (right) inspecting the Government Collegeof Technology, the counting centre for the mayoralelection, in Coimbatore on Friday. CorporationDeputy Commissioner P. Gandhimathi is in thepicture. Photo: M. Periasamy.

None of the above (NOTA) option will not be available for the Coimbatore mayoral election, Returning Officer and Corporation Commissioner S. Ganesh has said.

This by-election is being held within the framework of the rules in which the 2011 local body elections were held. Therefore, NOTA, introduced only for the 2013 Parliamentary election, will not be available.

Mr. Ganesh, along with Election Observer R. Gajalakshmi, Deputy Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation P. Gandhimathi, City Engineer K. Sugumar and others, was at the counting centre at the Government College of Technology to oversee the arrangements.

The Coimbatore Corporation has set up five counting centres and as many strong rooms for counting, which will take place on September 18 (Thursday).

Soon after the polling, the officials in-charge of conducting the election will move the ballot units and control units to the strong rooms.

Five zonal assistant commissioners of the Coimbatore Corporation will supervise the operation.

On the day of counting, the officials will take ballot units and control units to the counting room, where the machines will be placed on the 14 tables.

Each of the counting tables will have a supervisor, counting person and counting assistant, who will count the votes in front of the counting agents of the candidates in the fray.

The counting personnel drawn from the Public Works Department, Agriculture Department, Highways Department, Panchayat Administration and a few other government wings will undergo the training for counting at a later date. The Corporation only recently conducted the training for the election personnel.

Meanwhile, the Coimbatore Corporation, it appears, is yet to decide on the result collation process. Until recently the local unit of the National Informatics Centre was involved in tabulating the result. This time around, the Corporation sources say, the civic body is yet to decide on the issue.

Commissioner Mr. Ganesh, however, said that the civic body would do the result collation and publication process as it had the wherewithal.