Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) The deferred counting of votes for elections to the 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra will begin at 10 AM on December 21 as per the directive of the Bombay High Court, the State Election Commission (SEC) said on Tuesday.
The counting of votes, originally scheduled for December 3, has been put off to December 21 following a directive from the High Court, which ordered that the results be counted and declared, aligning the date with the revised schedule for bodies that had pending court appeals.
Elections for 246 local bodies were completed on Tuesday, while polling for the remaining 24 municipal councils and nagar panchayats will be held on December 20.
The SEC stated that it has directed all district collectors to start the counting process at 10 AM on December 21.
In light of the nearly three-week delay, the SEC has issued strict instructions for the handling and security of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) until the counting date.
EVMs must be kept in a secure godown with a 24-hour armed security detail. The godown must have functional security equipment, including CCTV cameras and security alarm systems, the SEC stated.
Access to the storage area is to be restricted to authorised personnel only, and all entries must be recorded in a logbook. Contesting candidates or their representatives must be allowed to inspect the godown security upon request, and a designated seating area must be provided for them to view the godown entrance, it said.
Returning Officers must ensure the on/off switch on all EVMs is carefully turned off before the machines are sealed in their boxes.
All district collectors (excluding Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban) have been instructed to comply strictly with the directives and submit a compliance report to the commission.
The directive of the Nagpur bench of the High Court came while it was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the SEC’s November 29 revised schedule.
One of the petitions challenged the postponement of polls for one division of the Chandrapur Municipal Council to December 20. PTI MR NSK
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