Over 13,000 polling staff to be deployed at 29 counting centres across Karnataka
Bengaluru, Jun 3: Elaborate arrangements have been put in place with the deployment of more than 13,000 staff at the 29 counting centres across Karnataka for the counting of votes on Tuesday for the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, officials said on Monday.
The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling in the 14 seats in most of the southern and coastal districts was held on April 26 and the second phase in the other 14 segments in the northern districts was held on May 7.
Each Parliamentary Lok Sabha constituency has one counting centre each. However, in Tumakuru, counting of votes will be done in two places, so the total number of counting centres is 29.
Speaking to PTI, Manoj Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka said, "We have 28 Parlimentary Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka and counting of votes at the 29 counting centres in the state will begin at 8 am on Tuesday."
He further said that elaborate arrangements have been made and 13,173 counting staff, including counting supervisors, counting assistants and micro observers have been deployed.
"All necessary training for the staff has also been completed. At each counting centre, EVMs and postal ballots will be counted in separate rooms. Media centres have also been set up at each of these counting centres with required facilities (with computers, xerox, fax, printers) so that they can report to their respective media outlets," he added.
According to the police, in Bengaluru alone, more than 2,400 police officers have been deployed at the three counting centres in the state capital, namely Mount Carmel College, Vasantnagar (Bangalore Central Constituency), St Joseph's Indian High School, Vithal Mallya Road (Bangalore North Constituency) and SSMRV College, Jayanagar (Bangalore South Constituency).
Appropriate arrangements have been made for counting of votes in the three Lok Sabha constituencies within the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) limits to ensure the smooth conduct of the counting of votes under tight security, they said.
A total of 1,524 officers/personnel, 13 armed reserved units and four quick response teams have been deployed by Bangalore City Police unit for counting day and already 516 police officers and personnel, including civil and City Armed Reserve wings, have been deployed for maintaining strong room security duty in three shifts.
More than 400 traffic department police officers and personnel will be stationed to ensure that traffic flow around the counting centres is not interrupted.
A total of more than 2,400 police officers and personnel of the city has been deployed for vote counting duty to monitor the situation in the three counting centres.
From Monday midnight to June 4 midnight, sale of liquor is prohibited in city limits and prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC has been imposed in Bengaluru from 6 am on Tuesday to Tuesday midnight.
The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and City Armed Reserve platoons will be deployed in sensitive areas of the city to no ensure that no untoward incident occurs, police said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
PM Modi, RSS strengthening wall in path of SCs, STs, OBCs: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS were strengthening the wall standing in the path of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs, even as he acknowledged that the UPA took steps to weaken that wall but not to the extent it should have.
Addressing the 'Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyaan', Gandhi also referred to the function held on Constitution Day in Parliament and said that it is his guarantee, that "Modi has not read" the Constitution.
"If PM Modi would have read this book then what he does daily, he would not do it," Gandhi said, displaying a copy of the Constitution of India.
Gandhi said the country's whole system is pitted against Dalits, Adivasis and backward class people.
He said a wall obstructs the path of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs and Modi and the RSS are strengthening that wall by "adding cement to it".
"Slowly the wall (obstructing the path of SCs, STs, OBCs) is getting strengthened. Earlier, the UPA government gave MGNREGA, the land acquisition act, the right to food...those were ways to weaken that wall. Today, when I look back, I can say the UPA government did not weaken the wall to the extent it should have, it did not do it as strongly as it should have," Gandhi said.
"However, we used to make efforts to weaken that wall but they (the BJP) are strengthening that wall by adding concrete," the former Congress president said.
Gandhi said a caste survey being carried out in Telangana is a historic step and the Congress will do the same wherever it comes to power.
