Bhubaneswar: The counting of votes for the three-tier Odisha panchayat elections will begin today at 8 am.
Reportedly, the fate of 1,06,353 candidates has been sealed in the ballot box. The counting will continue for three days from today that is February 26, February 27 and February 28.
The counting of votes for 315 Zilla Parishad posts will be undertaken today alongside the tallying of ballots for other posts for the same area. On February 27, the votes will be counted for the remaining 307 Zilla Parishad posts and on February 28 for 229 Zilla Parishad posts.
Each counting table has one counting supervisor, two counting assistants and a fourth class employee. The election officials have a separate table.
The ballot papers will be segregated by colours following which the bundles of 50 will be made for the counting.
A total of 2.2 lakh candidates contested in the elections, the SEC had declared 36,523 ward members, 126 sarpanch, 326 panchayat Samiti members, and one Zilla Parishad member as uncontested winners.
While the polling had been peaceful for the most part, in some areas the voters had boycotted the polls to highlight their agitation and demands. Similarly in other areas, violence and rigging had led to chaotic situations.
It is to be noted that, the Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday announced that the election for 109 urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state will be held on March 24.
Ms Kalinga