Security blanket will be thrown around all the 28 counting centres across the State as nearly 12,000 election officials will commence counting of votes from 8 a.m. on Thursday.
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As many as 4,215 rounds of counting will be taken up, and separate arrangements have been made to count VVPAT slips.
All the 28 counting centres will turn into fortresses with a three-tier security cover — 100-m perimeter around the counting centre, the boundary wall, and at the entrance of the counting halls.
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Prohibitory orders have been clamped across the State and victory processions and meetings have been banned.
“Of the 28 centres, eight — Hassan, Mandya, Tumakuru, Bengaluru North, Belagavi, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, and Shivamogga — have been identified as sensitive and will be guarded by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), while the remaining 20 centres will be guarded by Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and other local police forces,” said Kamal Pant, ADGP (Law and Order), Karnataka.
“Strict access control will be implemented at the counting centres. Only those with valid passes will be allowed in, and once inside, persons assigned to a particular hall and table cannot stray. The entire area, including that in the 100-m radius around the centres, will be covered by CCTV cameras which will be monitored live from a command centre,” he said.
Wide-ranging bandobast has also been put in place for security after the results are declared. Villages divided along communal, caste or party lines have been identified and pickets would be put up from Thursday morning itself, senior officials said. “All known troublemakers have been identified and kept under watch. They will be secured even at a slight hint of any trouble brewing,” the official said.