Mysore/Mysuru: With just 19 days left for voting for Lok Sabha (LS) election on Apr. 26, the Mysuru District Administration has initiated preparations for the counting of votes that will take place on June 4.

As a preliminary measure, Maharani’s College of Commerce and Management for Women, Vinayakanagar (Paduvarahalli) has been designated as the main counting centre and the primary strong room for the Mysuru-Kodagu LS Constituency. It is currently undergoing preparation in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India.

In all, 11 strong rooms, (mustering centres) have been established to securely store Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines that have already been brought from the EVM Warehouse at Siddharthanagar. In Mysuru, specifically, 11 strong rooms have been readied to correspond with the district’s jurisdiction, covering 11 Assembly segments.

All 11 mustering centres have been equipped with dedicated strong rooms, where the machines have been meticulously deposited booth-wise and arranged according to their serial numbers. Within city limits, specific arrangements have been made for each Constituency.

For Chamaraja Constituency, the strong room has been established at Baden Powell School, located behind the DC Office, the strong room for Krishnaraja Constituency has been set up at Maharaja’s College Centenary Hall, for Narasimharaja Constituency, the strong room is situated at JSS College on Ooty Road and for Chamundeshwari segment, the strong room has been designated at Maharani’s Arts College on JLB Road.

Main counting venue

The machines will be transported to the voting booths one day before the elections through mustering process. Following the voting process and subsequent de-mustering, the EVMs and VVPATs will be transported to the Maharani’s College of Commerce and Management for Women for the counting of votes.

Preparations are currently underway at the counting centre, with PWD Executive Engineer Banavara Ramamurthy overseeing the supervision of the counting centre. Ramamurthy has meticulously planned space allocation, estimation and layout sketches of the rooms, forwarding the comprehensive report to the Deputy Commissioner, Dr. K.V. Rajendra, who serves as the District Electoral Officer.

Tenders for required infrastructure

Administrative approval for the establishment of a full-fledged counting centre is expected to be issued by the Deputy Commissioner tomorrow or the day after. Following this approval, works to set up the counting centre with all necessary infrastructure, security measures and designated areas for counting will commence. Tenders will be called to procure and set up the required infrastructure in a timely manner.

The plan entails a ground floor plus two floors allocation for 11 constituencies, with equal distribution according to the Assembly constituency. Each constituency will have two strong rooms, two counting halls, and 14 tables in each counting hall.

Additionally, there will be provision for a media centre, an RO (Returning Officer) Office, one Police Observer, one Expenditure Observer and one General Observer. A detailed estimate has been prepared to ensure the proper execution of the plan.

The strong rooms are to be fully enclosed, ensuring 100 percent security. Lighting fixtures, CCTV cameras and quality sound systems including microphones and loudspeakers will be installed to facilitate smooth operations.

Furthermore, a 100-metre barricade will be erected around the premises to maintain security and orderliness during the counting process.

Access to the counting centre will be restricted to essential personnel only, including Police, media representatives, and counting staff associated with the candidates and candidates themselves. Unauthorised individuals will not be allowed entry under any circumstances, ensuring the integrity and security of the counting process.