UditVani, Jamshedpur: All eyes are set on the Ghatshila Assembly By-election as counting of votes will take place on Friday at the Jamshedpur Co-operative College, where the fate of the candidates will be decided.
The counting is expected to begin at 8 a.m., with final results likely to be announced by around noon, officials said.
As per the Election Commission’s arrangements, there will be 20 rounds of counting spread across 15 tables.
Counting will start with postal ballots, followed by the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Early trends are expected to emerge within the first few rounds, giving an indication of which way the contest is heading.
District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi reviewed the final preparations on Thursday.
Adequate security deployment has been made in and around the counting venue, with a three-tier security cordon to prevent any untoward incident.
Entry to the counting centre will be strictly restricted to authorised personnel, counting agents, and observers.
To ensure transparency, the entire counting process will be video-recorded, and CCTV surveillance has been installed at each table.
The administration has also set up control rooms for real-time monitoring and communication.
The Ghatshila by-poll, which witnessed a keen contest between various political parties – JMM, BJP and JLKM – is being seen as a prestige battle for both the ruling coalition and the opposition in Jharkhand.
With the outcome likely to signal early political trends ahead of next Assembly elections, the by-poll result has drawn statewide attention.
