Bargarh: The fate of the candidates contesting byelection to Bijepur Assembly constituency in Odisha’s Bargarh district will be decided as counting of votes began at the Anchal College in Padmapur in the morning on Wednesday.
As per latest reports, counting of votes has begun on 14 tables. Each table has one observer, one Returning Officer and some assistants for counting. There will be a total of 21 rounds of counting. After the first-round counting, the results will be sent to the center table. From the center table, the results would be sent to the information centre. The information centre then will pass on the results to the media about the voting trend and the party leading in the first-round counting. For this, arrangements have been made to open an information centre for the media.
As informed by Padmapur Sub-Collector and Returning Officer Tapiram Majhi, counting of votes of a total of 281 booths is underway.
He said in each round, counting of votes of 14 booths would be made. It will take at least 15 minutes to complete one round of counting.
“If all goes well, the final results of counting would be known by 2 PM,” Majhi said, adding that the initial voting trend would be known by 9 pm.
Three-tier security has been put in place at the counting centre with the deployment of Odisha Special Armed Police (OSAP) force, Odisha Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Besides, metal detector has been placed in front the central hall to check the officials before entering the hall.
Meanwhile, media persons have expressed their resentment as they were not allowed inside the counting hall.
According to political analysts, the outcome of the Bijepur bypoll would be an acid test for the ruling BJD as well as the BJP and the Congress to assert their popularity in the state ahead of the general elections and Assembly elections in 2019.
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