Tight Security in Place for Nuapada By-Poll Counting Tomorrow

Nuapada: Ahead of the counting of votes for the Nuapada Assembly by-election scheduled on November 14, the district administration has put in place elaborate three-tier security arrangements to ensure a smooth and transparent process.

Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash informed that Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have been deployed round-the-clock at the innermost cordon of the strongroom where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are securely stored in the presence of contesting candidates. The entire area is under CCTV surveillance, and counting halls have been fully prepared for the process.

“Representatives of various political parties have been allowed to set up camps outside the strongroom to observe the proceedings closely,” the Collector said.

The vote counting will begin at 8 AM with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 AM, Dash stated. Counting will be conducted in 26 rounds across 14 tables, with each table managed by a counting supervisor, an assistant, and a micro-observer for close monitoring. The entire process will be supervised by the Returning Officer, he added.

Highlighting the enthusiastic response from voters, Dash said that the Nuapada by-election witnessed a record voter turnout of 83.45%, one of the highest in recent years. Out of 2,54,497 registered voters, as many as 2,12,385 people exercised their franchise — including 1,03,857 male and 1,08,383 female voters.

Authorities have maintained strict vigilance and deployed additional personnel to prevent any untoward incidents. The administration assured that all measures are in place to ensure a peaceful, transparent, and secure counting process on Thursday.