J&K election: Tight security in place for counting of votes tomorrow

Srinagar: The stage is set for counting of votes for the 90 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday amid multi-tier security arrangements, officials said.

In Srinagar, the counting using Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) would be taken up at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) at Centaur on the banks of the Dal Lake, officials said.

In Jammu, counting will take place at Padmashree Padma Sachdev College for Women Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, Govt MAM College, Jammu and Govt Polytechnic College, Bikram Chowk, Jammu.

An official said, “All the three educational institutions shall remain closed on October 7, 8, and 9 as the vote counting for the recently concluded Assembly elections will be held in these venues.”

The three-phase Assembly elections, the first in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, witnessed high voter enthusiasm on September 18, 25 and October 1.

The fate of 873 candidates vying for a seat in the 90-member House will be known by tomorrow evening.

The first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir after it was made a Union Territory witnessed a voter turnout of 63.45 per cent, less than the 65.52 percent recorded in the 2014 Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, all the Deputy Commissioners of the 20 districts of the Union Territory have put in place facilities at vote counting centres, officials said.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole emphasised on transparency, promising that efforts shall be made to ensure that both media and public stay informed on the election results as they unfold.

He directed officials to ensure that all necessary measures are implemented in strict accordance with the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Similar arrangements have been made in the Jammu region at counting centres in all districts.

All the mainstream parties including the National Conference (NC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) have named their counting agents to oversee the process at various centres..

The NC and Congress alliance have claimed they would get absolute majority. A similar claim was made by the BJP.

However, the exit polls suggested that the NC and the Congress may emerge as the largest bloc in the 90-member Assembly.

The PDP has claimed it will play a pivotal role in forming the next government. The exit polls have claimed that the party may get less than 10 seats.

Others and independent candidates will also have a chance to play an important role in the forming of the next government in Jammu and Kashmir, the exit polls predicted.