Counting of votes for Ghatshila bypoll to be held on Nov 14 under tight security arrangements

Ranchi, Nov 13 (PTI) The counting of votes for the Ghatshila bypoll will begin at 8 am amid tight security arrangements on November 14, an official said on Thursday.

The bypoll had recorded a 74.63 per cent turnout on November 11.

District Election Officer (DEO)-cum-Deputy Commissioner (DC), East Singhbhum, Karn Satyarthi said the counting will begin at 8 am in Jamshedpur Cooperative College.

"The counting will start with postal ballots, followed by EVMs. A total of 20 rounds of counting will be conducted on 19 tables, with 15 allocated for EVMs and 4 for postal ballots," Satyarthi told PTI.

He said the trend is expected to start coming from 9 am and the entire process of the counting is likely to be over by 5 pm.

"All preparations have been completed, and heavy security arrangements have been made for smooth counting of votes. There will be a three-tier security arrangement at the counting centre, and carrying mobile phones has been prohibited, except for a few officials," he said.

He said all EVMs, VVPAT machines and postal ballots were kept safely in Jamshedpur Cooperative College.

There are 13 candidates in the fray, but the main contest is likely to be between Somesh Chandra Soren of the JMM and the BJP's Babulal Soren, son of former chief minister Champai Soren.

Somesh is the son of JMM MLA Ramdas Soren, whose death on August 15 necessitated the bypoll.

The bypoll has turned into a prestige battle for both the ruling JMM and the BJP, even though the election result will not have any major impact on the Hemant Soren government. The JMM-led ruling alliance currently has 55 MLAs in the 81-member state assembly, while the BJP-led NDA has 24.

The JMM as well as the BJP are confident of the win of their respective candidates in the Ghatshila bypoll.

JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya claimed that the people of Ghatshila decided to pay tribute to 'Dishom Guru' (leader of the land) Shibu Soren, and former education minister Ramdas Soren by defeating the BJP.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo claimed that the frustration of the ruling JMM was visible.

"The JMM has put all its efforts into the seat, which they were considering safe. There is huge resentment among the people against the government, and they have decided to teach a lesson. We are expecting our candidate to win with a big margin," he said. PTI SAN SAN RG