PANJIM: The wait is going to be really long for the people of Goa. The results of Lok Sabha elections and the four by-polls are expected to be out by midnight of May 23 or wee hours of May 24. The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to increase VVPAT count to five instead of one in each assembly segment is set to delay the counting process.
The elections for North Goa Lok Sabha seat and four by-polls for Shiroda, Mandrem and Mapusa were held on April 23, while the by-election for Panjim assembly segment took place on May 19. The results of by-elections are expected to be out first.
There are total 20 assembly constituencies where polling was held for the North Goa parliamentary seat.
The EVMs and VVPATs are currently stored in the strong room at Goa Polytechnic College, Altinho, where the counting on May 23 will also take place.
The strong room will be opened at 7.00 am in presence of general observers and candidates or their representative.
The counting process will begin sharp at 8.00 am across 11 counting halls. The counting will take place in two rounds. In the first round the counting will take place across 126 tables, while in the second round it would be on 115 tables under the supervision of counting observers appointed by ECI and the district returning officers- the North Collector. 469 counting staff will be on duty.
Candidates are asked to appoint one counting agent on each counting table.
Addressing media persons on Tuesday, North Goa District Election Officer R Menaka said that the counting of postal ballot will be taken up first, while simultaneous counting of EVMs, in those halls where postal ballot are not counted, will be taken up.
In the first round, the counting of Mapusa and Mandrem by-poll will be taken up, while Panjim by-poll counting is scheduled in the second round, Menaka said, “Each round will have six to seven sub round of counting,” she explained. The same will be the case for the Shiroda Assembly by-poll counting which will be held in South Goa.
“The results of by-elections are expected to be out first,” she said.
Menaka said that once all 1652 EVMs are counted, the process for random selection of five VVPATs in each assembly segment will be done. The selection will be based on lot system.
“Total 100 VVPATs will be counted for North Goa Lok Sabha seat, which has 20 constituencies,” she said adding, there will be random selection of five VVPATs in each assembly constituency of Mandrem, Mapusa and Panjim to count by-poll votes. Same will be followed for Shiroda constituency and South Goa LS seat in South Goa.
Responding to a question on in case of discrepancies in the count of EVMs and VVPATS, Collector North said that VVPATs would be recounted. “Even after that the discrepancy remains, then the count of VVPAT would be considered as final,” she said.
“The tentative result would be out by evening but the final result after counting VVPAT will take time. It may go till midnight,” she said adding ‘the counting process will not be halted even if it goes to next day’.
In South Goa, Collector South who is also the Returning Officer Ajit Roy Collector, also briefed media persons on Tuesday and said that all the candidates have been intimidated that the strong room will be opened at 7 am to bring the EVMs to the counting halls.
He also reiterated what his counterpart in the North had said, that notwithstanding the elaborate arrangements for counting, the results are not going to come in early and are expected to be declared only in the night.
Arrangements have been made to have 10 counting halls and in each of the counting halls two EVMs from two different assembly segments will be taken up for counting in each of the 10 counting tables.
However one counting hall on the first floor will have 12 counting tables which have been divided into two.
While the votes cast for the assembly by-poll (Shiroda) will be taken up for counting on six tables, on the remaining six tables the Lok Sabha ballots will be counted.
Once the votes cast in the Electronic Voting Machines are counted, five booths from each assembly section will be selected randomly for counting of the VVPAT ballots. “Once we complete counting of one booth, counting of the second booth will be taken up,” said Roy, while admitting that it may take time but the procedure has to be followed.
He opined that the first round would be completed after about seven hours and only then will the second round commence. Incidentally this is the first time that VVPAT ballots are physically counted in the presence of the candidates or their agents.
During the counting process, the counting observers and returning officers will continue to communicate with officials of ECI and Goa Chief Electoral Officer.
Post counting, the EVMs and VVPATs will be sealed and kept back in the strongroom.
Media room, candidate room have been designated. Also 100 metres area from the strong room is notified as pedestrian zone, while road from St Inez junction till Government Polytechnic College is notified as No Parking Zone.
One can visit the official page resultsepi.eci.gov.in to check the results.
