Record counting process, says SEC

State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar has directed the District Collectors, District Election Authorities, and Superintendents of Police to strictly implement measures for recording the counting process in the sensitive, hypersensitive and troublesome gram panchayats through webcasting or CC cameras, or videography, and preserve such recordings / footages as an election record.

In a press release, Mr. Ramesh Kumar said the State Election Commission, besides issuing instructions for recording the counting process, had also directed the authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply by making alternative arrangements such as generators / inverters to ensure adequate lighting in the counting centres.

The counting atmosphere should be “sterilised” so that no outsiders were permitted, and care should be taken to ensure that information about trends was not leaked, he said. “Recounting has to be done only in close cases, and not in respect of double digit margins. Recounting in such cases is to be allowed only once,” the SEC said.