#KATHUA: In Jammu and Kashmir, a day ahead of the counting of votes for the 4-Udhampur-Kathua and 5-Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha constituencies along with the rest of the country, three-tier security has been activated in and around the counting centers in Jammu and Kathua districts.
As per reports that the counting of over 23.94 lakh votes in these two parliamentary constituencies, scheduled for Tuesday, will determine the fate of 34 candidates, including senior BJP leader and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, current Member Parliament from Jammu, Jugal Kishore Sharma and former ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Raman Bhalla of the Congress.
Returning Officer and Jammu District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya reviewed the security measures, logistics and essential amenities at the counting venues and said the counting process will take place in the Polytechnic College and MAM College. Votes from the seven assembly constituencies will be counted at MAM College, while 11 constituencies will be tallied at the Polytechnic College.
The administration has fully trained the staff and sensitized all polling agents for the counting process. This includes a detailed examination of the deployment of paramilitary and police personnel as well as the set up for counting staff and agents. CCTV cameras have been installed and videography arrangements are in place at the counting centers. In Kathua, three-tier security is also in place for the Udhampur-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency. SSP Kathua, Anayat Ali Choudhary, who took a review visit of the area, said that elaborate security arrangements have been made.
The SSP urges everyone to coordinate with the security forces and police and if there is any problem on the security front, it should be immediately brought to our knowledge. Enhanced security has been deployed along the International Border (IB) and inter-district checkpoints to monitor and prevent any anti-social or anti-national activities.
The counting center for Udhampur Lok Sabha seat is set up at the Government Degree College Kathua, equipped with multi-tier security and 24×7 CCTV surveillance. Votes from 18 assembly segments, including Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar, will be counted in designated halls. Three halls are designated for counting Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) votes. Nearly 10 thousand staff members will handle the entire counting process, including transferring Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from strong rooms to counting halls.
