Patna: After the polling for both phases of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 got completed, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified preparations for vote counting, scheduled for November 14.
Counting will be held at 46 centres across the state, including Patna, under a three-tier security system to ensure a transparent and smooth process.
According to an ECI official, the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been securely stored in strong rooms near each counting centre.
These facilities are under 24-hour CCTV surveillance, and candidates or their representatives are permitted to monitor the footage to ensure full transparency.
All EVMs will be taken out of the strong rooms at designated times and moved to the counting halls under tight security. The ECI has directed all district election officers to adhere strictly to its guidelines.
A special inspection team from the ECI headquarters recently reviewed all strong rooms. During the inspection, a minor technical glitch in the CCTV display at one centre was immediately repaired.
The official said all cameras are now fully operational, and video feeds have been shown to representatives of contesting candidates.
To enhance reliability, backup power grids have been installed at every monitoring centre.
The officer said that a total of 35 complaints were received during the two phases of polling — five in the first and 30 in the second phase about the strong rooms — and all were resolved promptly.
Dedicated monitoring rooms were set up at the district and state levels to handle these issues.
For the counting process, 1,050 officials and staff are being trained in two phases — the first session was already held on November 10, and the second is scheduled for November 13.
On counting day, security will be managed jointly by Central Armed Forces and district police through a three-layer cordon — with the first ring guarding the strong rooms, the second ring securing the counting halls, and the third ring maintaining order in the outer perimeters of all centres.
Officials said all arrangements are being continuously reviewed to ensure a fair, transparent, and incident-free counting day on November 14.
(IANS)
