Guwahati, Oct 6 (IANS): Counting of votes for the first-ever Silchar Municipal Corporation election in Assam began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday at the Indian Society for Technical Training (ISTT) in Ramnagar locality, with authorities putting in place elaborate security and administrative arrangements for counting of ballots from 40 contested wards.
The counting process is being conducted across seven rooms, each equipped with 14 counting tables.
Officials said three to four tables have been allocated for each ward, depending on the number of votes to be counted. The counting is expected to be completed in a maximum of four rounds, while wards with a relatively smaller number of voters are likely to require only three rounds.
The Silchar Municipal Corporation comprises 42 wards, but candidates backed by the BJP have already been elected unopposed in two wards. Consequently, votes are being counted for the remaining 40 wards on Tuesday.
The civic election was held on October 3, with around 71 per cent of the nearly 2.7 lakh registered voters exercising their franchise.
The counting exercise will now determine the first elected representatives of the newly constituted municipal corporation and provide the final electoral mandate across Silchar.
Security has been tightened around the counting venue, with personnel deployed at the ISTT premises as well as other strategically important locations in the city.
Authorities have also put in place measures to regulate movement around the counting centre and prevent any disruption during the process.
Officials said arrangements have been made to ensure that the counting is carried out in a transparent, peaceful and orderly manner.
The Silchar Municipal Corporation election is being closely watched as it marks the first civic poll for the newly constituted urban local body.
The results from the 40 wards will indicate the political preferences of voters in Silchar and determine the composition of the corporation.
As counting progresses, the outcome is expected to emerge through successive rounds, with political parties and candidates keeping a close watch on the trends from individual wards.
