By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 30 Jul: Arrangements are in place for the vote counting for panchayat polls in 12 out 13 districts of the state, due to be held tomorrow. The State Election Commission is set to begin the counting of votes for the three-tier Panchayat elections at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Results are expected to begin pouring in tomorrow itself.
It may be recalled that, in the Panchayat elections in the state, voting was conducted using colour‑coded paper ballots, not Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The polling was conducted over two phases (on 24 and 28 July), utilising white, green, blue, and pink ballots for gram panchayat, pradhan, block committee, and zila panchayat posts respectively. The voters have marked their choice on these ballots, which would now be manually counted. The process will cover a total of 10,915 posts, involving the deployment of 15,024 personnel for counting and 8,926 security personnel to ensure a secure environment. A total of 34,151 candidates are contesting across various positions in the elections.
The Commission has claimed that the vote counting will be conducted with complete transparency, just as the polling was undertaken in a free and fair manner. Secretary of the State Election Commission Rahul Kumar Goyal shared that the overall voter turnout recorded across 89 development blocks in 12 districts, excluding Haridwar, stood at 69.16 per cent, comprising 64.23 per cent male and 74.42 per cent female voters. Voting for the three-tier Panchayat elections was held over two phases on 24 and 28 July. In a few polling booths, polling was held today also where it was not possible to hold the polling on scheduled dates due to inclement weather.
Elaborate arrangements have been made to facilitate a smooth counting process, which will be closely monitored by designated observers, zonal magistrates, and police officials. All the counting centres have been fully barricaded from a security standpoint. Once the results are declared by the respective Returning Officers, they will be promptly uploaded to the Commission’s official website.
In a bid to maintain public order following the announcement of results, the State Election Commission has imposed a strict ban on victory processions. Written directives have been issued to all the districts, mandating a complete prohibition on celebratory rallies taken out in favour of winning candidates. According to the instructions, an experienced officer will be posted as Zonal Magistrate at each counting centre, and deployment of a Police Circle Officer or Station House Officer has been made compulsory at all such venues.
