Chief Electoral Officer of Jharkhand, K Ravi Kumar, today announced that all 24 counting centres are fully prepared for the counting of votes for the Assembly elections.
He said that counting will commence at 8 a.m. on Saturday, beginning with postal ballots. All postal ballots received by 8 a.m. will be included in the count. The counting of votes from electronic voting machines (EVMs) will start at 8:30 a.m., with trends expected to emerge by 9:30 a.m.
Final results are anticipated by 5 p.m., though efforts are in place to complete the counting process by 4 p.m., the CEO said.
Kumar further said that a three-tier security setup has been arranged at the counting centers. Access restrictions will be strictly enforced, with only the District Electoral Officer (DEO) and Returning Officer (RO) permitted to carry mobile phones inside the centres.
Police officers will not be allowed inside the counting halls. Journalists may carry mobile phones only up to the media centre, and cameras will be permitted inside the counting hall for photography under official supervision, but only once.
Kumar explained that constituencies with fewer counting rounds would see results declared sooner. For instance, Torpa constituency will have the fewest rounds at 13, while Littipara will have 14. Chatra constituency will undergo the most rounds of counting, with 27 in total.
Kumar noted that the likelihood of conflicts over victory processions or similar events was minimal but assured that the local administration was ready to maintain order if needed.
He also stated that while the election process is officially set to conclude by November 25, efforts are being made to finalise it by November 24.
He expressed satisfaction with the high voter turnout in Jharkhand and confirmed that the election process would conclude with the submission of the list of winning candidates to the Governor.
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