Andhra Pradesh

Counting observers to be attached to every table

Sangareddy: For the first time, counting observers will be attached to each table during counting votes on Sunday. The observers drawn either from the Central or State service will be directly reporting the proceedings to the main observers while the counting staff will report to the returning officer concerned.

In all, counting will be done on 14 tables for each constituency and the 15th table will be that of the observer for random check of results in each round. The counting will begin at 8 a.m. and the results of all the three segments will be out within two hours.

Out of the three Assembly segments, Dommata has only 156 polling booths, but has the maximum number of candidates, Ramayampet has 189 booths and has seven candidates in fray, Siddipet has 191 booths, but has only four candidates.

Meanwhile the electronic voting machines have started arriving at Tara Degree College where the counting will be held on Thursday.

The district administration has identified 197 polling booths in the three segments that went for elections on Thursday where the poll percentage crossed 75 per cent as per the directions of the Election Commission. In all, 59 booths in Dommat, 54 in Siddipet and 84 in Ramayampet witnessed abnormal polling.

However the election officers who verified the poll process in the presence of agents and the candidates concluded that there was no foul play.

As per the new rules, the EC declares a new threshold each time in the place of a blanket 90 per cent mark as the upper limit.

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