Additional safety features will be in place during the counting of votes scheduled for May 13, Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar said here on Thursday.
“The entire counting process would be recorded through web cameras. Three-tier security would be in place at the counting centres and no one without identity cards would be allowed beyond the first tier (of security),” said Mr.Kumar in an informal chat with reporters on the sidelines of a training programme for Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) from eight districts held here.
All efforts were being made to ensure that charge sheets were filed in all cases of violations of poll code before the election process was completed. Investigations were still under way with respect to the seizure of Rs.5.11 crore from the roof top of a private bus in the Tiruchi West Assembly constituency, prior to the election. “We have to establish whether it is a case of election offence,” he said answering a query on the progress of investigation in the case.
The CEO also discounted the possibility of any delay in declaring the results. There is no procedural change as such and the electronic voting machines would be taken up for counting booth-wise as usual, he indicated.
“We have to get a report on the issue,” he said in response to a query on the reported problems in distribution in postal ballot forms for police personnel.
