Stage set for Lok Sabha elections counting day in Meghalaya

A Correspondent

SHILLONG: Preparations have been made to ensure that the counting of votes in the Lok Sabha elections goes off without a hitch in Meghalaya.

According to State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Fredrick Roy Kharkongor, there will be 13 counting centers in the State for the two parliamentary seats – Shillong and Tura.

For the Shillong Lok Sabha seat, counting will be held in the district headquarters of Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the sub-divisions of Sohra and Mairang, while for the Tura parliamentary seat, the counting will be held in the five district headquarters.

Unlike in other parts of the country where there are allegations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being tampered with or being replaced, the CEO said that there were no such complaints from the political parties of the State.

Kharkongor also informed that the VVPAT slips of five polling stations from each Assembly constituencies will be counted.

“The five polling stations from each Assembly constituencies will selected through draw of lots on the day of the counting itself,” the Meghalaya CEO informed.

Meanwhile, security in all the counting centres has been tightened.

A three-tier cordon has been set up at each and every counting centre drawn from five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies. The innermost cordon will be manned by CAPF, the middle by the state armed police personnel and the outer by the district armed police.

Also read: Meghalaya news