Kaliganj bypoll in Bengal: Counting of votes tomorrow amid tight security

Kolkata, June 22 The counting of votes polled in West Bengal’s Kaliganj Assembly by-election is scheduled on Monday under a three-tier security cover at the designated centre.

Kaliganj was one of the five Assembly constituencies in four states that went to by-elections on June 19. The polling percentage recorded at Kaliganj was a little over 72.

The counting will start on Monday at 8 a.m. at Panighata High School, the designated counting centre. There will be two counting halls, with each hall having eight tables. An insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that the counting process is expected to be completed at around 12.30 p.m.

There will be 20 rounds of counting.

A platoon of 24 central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel is already deployed to protect the strong room where the ballot boxes are kept. They are guarding the strong room on a 24x7 basis in three shifts.

Insiders from the CEO’s office said there would be a three-tier security cover at the counting centre during counting on Monday. The entry points and outside radius of the counting centre will be guarded by personnel from the state armed police, which will include personnel from the rapid action force and the combat force.

In the second tier, which is within the counting centre premises but outside the counting hall, the security cover will be managed by a combination of state and central armed forces.

In the third last tier, which is within the counting halls, there will be only CAPF personnel. The counting agents of different candidates will be able to enter the counting hall only with a pen and white paper. No one will be allowed to enter the counting centre with a mobile or camera. Only the election observers and returning officers will be allowed to keep mobile phones within the counting centre.

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