Waiting for the D-Day

All eyes are eagerly waiting for Saturday to know the electoral fate of the candidates locked in EVMs during the month-long five-phase Lok Sabha elections held across the country, when it will be unlocked at 8 am and counting of votes for 543 Lok Sabha seats will start.

The Election Commission of India has made elaborate arrangements for the counting of votes at its 1080 counting centres and 4260 counting halls set up throughout the country and deployed 60,000 employees for a smooth conduct of the process.

At every counting centre a media centre would be set up furnished with facilities like telephone, fax, data communication network etc. EC said that arrangements have also been made for media to divulge them the details of every round of counting so that they could immediately flash on their channels.

Also, the trends and results will be displayed on large display boards put up at the office of the Election Commission in New Delhi.

This is for the first time in India and perhaps in the world that a website developed by the EC http://www.eciresults.nic.in would flash instant election results coming to its data bank from the counting centres. The website would also give the details of the actual counting of votes, the trend and performance of various political parties and display the various charts for election analysis.

At counting centres, the EC has made strict security arrangements for counting agents of candidates to witness the counting procedure. Micro observers at every table would do random checking of EVMs by recounting of two counted machines after every round, the EC said adding the proceeding in the counting halls would be recorded.

In the national capital, over 5,000 officials, including civil officials and police personnel, will be deployed in eight counting centres to ensure smooth conduct of counting of votes of seven parliamentary constituencies.

"Votes in East Delhi constituency will be counted at two places whereas in six other seats, one counting centre for each constituency has been set up," said Satbir Silas Bedi, chief electoral officer, Delhi.