BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer SK Lohani said on Thursday that the counting of votes in the Brajrajnagar by-election held on May 31 will be held on Friday amid tight security.
In the December 2021 by-election held after the death of BJD MLA Kishore Mohanty, 71.53 per cent (1,53,716) of the 2,14,878 eligible voters exercised their franchise.
He said that the counting of votes would begin at 8 am at Jharsuguda Engineering College. The CEO said that there will be a total of 20 rounds of counting.
After counting of postal ballots, EVMs will be counted. There will be 14 counting tables with three employees at each table. Lohani said there would be a total of 60 counting personnel.
The CEO said that candidates will be allowed to engage agents to oversee the counting process. A counting assistant, a counting supervisor and a micro observer will be allotted to each table.
Lohani said the results would be declared after each round of counting, with the counting process expected to be over by 3 pm.
Jharsuguda SP Rahul Jain said that the CEO said that the three-tier security arrangement of CRPF, State Armed Police and District Executive Force will be done at the counting centre.
There are 11 candidates in the fray, but the real fight will be a triangular one between BJD candidate Alka Mohanty (wife of late BJD MLA Kishore Mohanty), BJP candidate Radharani Panda and Congress candidate Kishor Patel.
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