With the stage all set for the counting of votes in the bypoll to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency, these are anxious moments for the candidates & their parties.
While a total of nine candidates are in the fray, it is a triangular contest between the BJP, the BJD, and the Congress. The three parties are hopeful of winning the bypoll.
“In the last 24 years, the State government has been meting out step-motherly treatment to the district. The outcome of this will definitely be seen in this by-election. It will be the victory of the common people who fought for the BJP,” observed BJP candidate, Tankadhar Tripathy.
Exuding confidence, Congress candidate Tarun Pandey said, “Our assessment says we will win the election.”
BJD leader, Debi Prasad Mishra is confident of his party’s candidate and daughter of Naba Das- whose murder necessitated the bypoll- will come out with flying colours.
“Ahead of the 2024 final match, the semi-final is being played in Jharsuguda. In this semi-final, BJD’s candidate Dipali Das will win with a huge margin,” said Mishra.
The counting of votes will start at 8 AM. The votes will be counted in 19 rounds across 14 tables. After the counting of postal ballots, the counting of EVM votes will start. Thereafter, the VVPAT paper slips will be counted. For the safety of EVMs, a three-tier security system is in place at the Jharsuguda Engineering School.
Similarly, three-tier security arrangements involving CRPF, Odisha State Armed Forces and district police have been put in place on the school campus where counting will take place.
“There will be 14 tables to count votes polled in 253 booths. So there will be 18 complete rounds and in the last round, votes of one booth will be counted. For the counting, there will be a three-tier security arrangement involving CRPF, Odisha State Armed Forces and district police,” informed Chief Electoral Officer, Nikunja Bihari Dhal.
Jharsuguda district Collector Aboli Sunil Naravane said, “Each table will have a counting supervisor, a counting assistant and a micro observer.”
Informing about the security arrangements, Jharsuguda SP Smit P Parmar said, “We have one company of CRPF. They will be at the counting site. We have also nine platoons of OSAP. Of them, four to five platoons will be deployed and the rest will be kept on reserve to maintain law and order after the counting.”