Mysore/Mysuru: The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were taken out from the strong rooms at the Counting Centre at Maharani’s Women’s College of Commerce and Management, Paduvarahalli (Vinayakanagar) in the city at 8 am, in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, who is also the District Electoral Officer, Election Observers and the agents of respective candidates of all the 11 Assembly Constituencies of the district.

Later EVMs were shifted to the rooms where arrangements had been made for counting of votes.

The counting of votes of Varuna and K.R. Nagar Constituencies were held at the ground floor while Chamaraja, Krishnaraja, Narasimharaja and Periyapatna Constituencies were held on the first floor, H.D. Kote, Nanjangud, Chamundeshwari and T. Narasipur in second floor and Hunsur Assembly Constituency in third floor.

Three-pronged security

Three-pronged security arrangements were in place with the counting centre turning into a virtual fortress, with the gun-toting Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel along with the local Police deployed at the main gate and main entrance and the inside of counting centre spread in three floors of the building.

 Metal detectors

Apart from Door-Framed Metal Detectors (DFMD), even Hand-Held Metal Detectors (HHMD) were used to frisk the Officers on counting duty, candidates and media persons alike before entering the building. Barring those possessing ID cards issued by the Election Commission, others were not provided any access to the counting centre.

 All the roads leading to the counting centre were out of bounds for the public with Police banning movement of vehicles from 5 am to 5 pm today. Mobile phones were also prohibited inside the counting rooms but media persons were allowed to carry phones to media centre.

Staff hooked to TV

Like a nail-biting cricket match that keeps the sports-lovers hooked to TV screens, the counting of votes had kept many on tenterhooks.

The media and the auxiliary staff deputed on counting duty were also seen hooked to TV screens in the premises of counting centre.

Apart from attending to counting duty, as and when they received a call from their higher ups, they were seen thronging the place, where TV screens were installed to keep a track on the results, in the break time.

People climb roof tops near Counting Centre

The roads in the vicinity of counting centre in Paduvarahalli were dotted with people riding high on curiosity. Apart from occupying whatever spaces were available on the roads, some others had even occupied the stairs, balconies and roof tops of the houses in the surroundings, to catch a glimpse of the leaders turning up at the Counting Centre.