Counting begins at Bhabanipur Assembly constituency

Amid tight security arrangements counting began at the three Assembly constituencies, including Bhabanipur in Kolkata, and Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad on Sunday at 8 a.m. The counting for Bhabanipur is being held at the Sakhawat Memorial School of Kolkata.

According to sources in the commission, the counting will be held in 21 rounds for the Bhabanipur constituency, 26 rounds for Samserganj and 24 rounds for the Jangipur constituency.

Tight security arrangements have been made in all the counting centres of the state. Altogether 24 companies of central forces have been deployed at the counting centres, and the entire area has been put under CCTV surveillance. Officials will only be allowed pen and paper and only the returning officer and observer are allowed to use phones, officials informed.

Eight CCTV cameras have been fitted at the EVM strong room and the results will be declared after 21 rounds of counting.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed within 200-metre radius of the counting centres at all three constituencies that went to the polls on September 30.

Candidates and their agents, who have received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the infection, will be allowed to enter the counting venues, the Election Commission official said.

All officials and agents have been asked to abide by Covid-19 protocols, he said.

The entire focus of the nation is on Bhabanipur where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had lost the Assembly elections from Nandigram earlier this year, is up against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur in south Kolkata. She will have to get elected to the Assembly to retain the CM's chair.

Polls were countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in the Murshidabad district, following the death of one candidate each.

Over 57 per cent polling was registered in Bhabanipur.

A high voting rate at 79.92 per cent and 77.63 per cent was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur, respectively.