POONCH: Ahead of the vote counting scheduled for October 8 in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, a special training session was conducted for the district staff responsible for tallying votes in Poonch district. The elections for the three constituencies of Poonch district—Surankote, Haveli, and Mendhar—took place on September 25, and preparations are now in full swing to ensure a smooth and transparent counting process.
The training session, chaired by the District Election Officer (DEO) Poonch, Vikas Kundal, was held at the New Auditorium of Government Degree College Poonch which was attended by 219 counting supervisors and counting assistants, along with 14 micro observers. These officials will be deployed at the designated counting centre at Girls Higher Secondary School, Poonch, on October 8.
During the session, the DEO emphasized the importance of accuracy, impartiality, and adherence to the Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines throughout the counting process. It was reiterated that no one, including candidates or their representatives, would be allowed to carry mobile phones inside the counting centre. The results will be uploaded to the ECI website after each round, with subsequent rounds starting immediately after the completion of the previous ones. The first round will focus on the counting of postal ballots.
To ensure transparency, the counting centre will be under tight security, with CCTV cameras monitoring all activities. The DEO stressed the need for punctuality and professionalism among the counting staff, urging them to handle Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with care and precision.
The session, conducted by master trainers, provided hands-on guidance on handling EVMs and the proper execution of the counting process. With all preparations in place, the vote counting for Surankote, Haveli, and Mendhar is set to proceed efficiently on October 8, with the results expected to be tallied accurately and without delay.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Poonch, Tahir Mustafa Malik, Deputy DEO Poonch, Saleem Ahmed, RO Poonch Qadeer Ul Rehman, Tehsildar Haveli and other senior officials also were also present on the occasion.
