The police have put in place a three-tier security cover and conducted extensive checks at the counting centre in Cuddalore where counting of votes will be taken up from 8 a.m. Thursday.
District Election Officer V. Anbuselvan inspected the counting centre on Wednesday and reviewed the arrangements.
The electoral fortunes of 18 candidates, who were in the fray in Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituency, are expected to be known within a couple of hours after the commencement of counting.
The votes polled in the Assembly segments of Cuddalore, Thittakudi (Reserved), Vriddhachalam, Neyveli, Panruti and Kurinjipadi coming under the Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituency will be counted at Periyar Government Arts College. Postal ballots will be counted first.
As per the Election Commission’s directions, VVPATs of five booths in each Assembly segment would be selected through randomisation and the votes polled counted. The result in the VVPAT chits would be compared with the EVM count.
Fourteen tables were arranged for each Assembly constituency, including two tables to count postal ballots.
For every table, there would be a supervisor, an assistant and a micro observer, and all the 14 tables would be monitored through CCTV cameras.
Over 500 police personnel will be deployed at the counting centre.
The police said that vehicles of only election observers, poll officers and those of the candidates will be allowed inside the counting centre.
All the Tasmac shops will remain closed on the counting day.
As many as 247 pickets have been posted and mobile patrolling intensified across the district. Seven teams of striking forces have been stationed in all the seven police sub-divisions in the district. In addition, two striking forces have been stationed at Panruti and Sethiathoppu, the police said.
600 policemen on duty
The counting centre set up at Arignar Anna Government Arts College in Villupuram has been brought under a tight security blanket.
Over 600 police personnel, led by four Deputy Superintendents of Police and 11 inspectors, were drafted for security duty.
The entire campus was brought under a three-tier security cover.
