Ahmedabad, June 4 (IANS) All the necessary arrangements have been put in place for the counting of votes for 25 of Gujarat's 26 Lok Sabha seats along with Assembly by-elections, which will commence at 8 a.m. on Tuesday across the 26 counting centres set up in the state.

BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared winner from Surat on the last day of withdrawal of nominations after Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination was rejected by the RO while the other candidates withdrew their names.

The counting process will be overseen by 56 counting observers, 30 election officials, and 175 assistant election officers. Additionally, 615 assistant election officials have been assigned responsibilities for postal ballots and the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).

“The third randomisation of the counting staff will be conducted at 5 a.m. on Tuesday in the presence of observers. Entry to the counting centres will be strictly regulated, and only authorised persons, including officials recognised by the Election Commission of India, on-duty staff, candidates, their polling agents, and counting agents would be allowed access,” an officials said.

A stringent three-tier security arrangement has been put in place at all the counting centres, while the local police will manage the security outside the counting centres, and the SRPF will be stationed at different locations.

The CAPF personnel will guard the doors at the counting centres and strong rooms, where no unauthorised person would be allowed entry.

To ensure the integrity of the counting process, electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptops will not be allowed inside the counting centres.

Exceptions will be made only for the ECI observers and the authorised persons having prior permission.

The use of mobile phones will be restricted to the designated media centres and public communication rooms within the counting centre complexes.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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