CHANDIGARH – For the first time ever in Punjab, the Election Commission would be video-taping the counting of votes in all 117 centres across the state on March 6. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Kusumjit Sidhu today passed instructions in this regard to all election officers of the state through a specially convened video-conferencing session.
The CEO directed the officials to organise video cameras for the counting exercise. Each constituency in the state has a counting centre. All centres would have 12 to 14 counting tables each. There would be a separate camera for each table.
Kusumjit Sidhu also warned all the returning officers to ensure there was no breach of security in case another EVM was found beeping.
Earlier, she had stated that the EVMs were beeping due to human error. She had directed the DCs concerned to issue show-cause notices to presiding officers concerned for taking their work casually and not switching off the units before storing them in strongrooms.
Also, the CEO has asked the district chiefs to submit the list of expenditure before February 23 so that she could send it for reimbursement before the next government was formed. The state is estimated to have spent Rs 85 crore on the elections.
