Amidst tight security, all preparations for counting for two Lok Sabha constituencies – Tripura West and Tripura East and Ramnagar Assembly seat by-poll  have been completed and staged is ready for counting of polled votes from Tuesday morning 8 AM, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura, Puneet Agarwal on Monday.

The counting will be held in 20 locations across Tripura on June 4 along with the entire nation.

The voting for Tripura West Lok Sabha seat and Ramnagar Assembly segment by-election was held on April 16 while polling for Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency was conducted on April 26.

An average of 81.48 percent voting was recorded in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency while Tripura East registered 80.36 percent polling.

The political parties have submitted names of their counting agents who will have access to the counting process in their respective counting halls, he said.

CCTV cameras have been installed in all the counting halls to ensure transparency in the counting process, said Agarwal and added that there will be a three-tier security layer around the counting halls and prohibitory order has already been imposed around the counting halls.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed 31 counting supervisors to conduct the counting process, he said.

A total of seven counting stations for West Tripura LS and 15 more counting stations for East Tripura LS and two counting stations including Santirbazar and Belonia, where counting of polled votes would be held for both Lok Sabha seats. For counting of EVM votes, separate counting halls for all 60 assembly seats of Tripura have been set up and Returning Officers (ROs) of both seats have also set up separate counting halls in their respective headquarters for postal ballot counting, said Agarwal.

14 counting halls at Umakanta Academy in Agartala, where polled votes would be counted on June 4th next along with other locations of the state, said Agarwal.

He added that the poll panel has taken all preparations across all 20 counting locations of Tripura as advised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) including round the clock CCTV coverage, uninterrupted power supply and massive security arrangements.

He said that a three-tier security measure has been adopted with Central Arms Police Forces (CAPFs) and state forces and a large number of forces will also deploy on the day of counting at the outside of counting halls to maintain law and order situation.

Agarwal added that there will be separate counting for the by-poll of 7-Ramnagar assembly seat on June 4th.

All the counting centres have separate media centres and the mobile phones of media persons will be allowed up to the media centre and inside counting halls, the Commission will not allow any kind of electronic gadgets and along with other listed items.

In the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP had fielded Rajya Sabha MP and former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb against state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha.

In Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, BJP’s Kriti Devi Debbarma contested against CPI (M) nominee Rajendra Reang.