Counting of votes Wednesday

KOCHI: The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the counting of votes for Piravom bypoll on Wednesday. The counting will be held at Nirmala Junior School, Muvatuppuzha. Arrangements have been made under the supervision of returning officer E R Shobhana, assistant returning officer Aravindakshan Nair and Muvattupuzha tahasildar T S Swarnamma.Dy Collector S Shahnavaz informed that the counting would be held in the presence of general observer Umakanth Pawar and K Veerabhadra Reddy. The first round of counting will start at 8 am.The counting staff have been directed to report for  duty at 6 am. They have been prohibited from using mobile phones. Fourteen tables have been arranged at the counting centre for the 134 polling booths in the constituency. Counting will be held in nine rounds. A static observer will be deputed at each counting table and observers will verify each round of counting.The candidates’ agents are allowed at the returning officers desk. Of the 323 service ballots sent by the returning officer, 316 have been received at the centre. A battalion of 340 police personnel will be deployed to avoid any untoward event. Dry day would be observed on Wednesday in Muvattuppuzha taluk and Piravom constituency. District Information office will set up a media centre at the Nirmala School open auditorium.