The chief electoral officer (CEO) Punjab, S Karuna Raju, on Wednesday said all the necessary arrangements have been made for the counting of votes for the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022 on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, the CEO said counting of votes for 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab would take place on 10 March from 8 a.m. onwards. He said that 117 counting centers have been set up at 66 locations in the state.

The CEO said the three-tier security measures have been set up with deployment of 45 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at all the 117 counting centers. As many as 7500 personnel will be deputed for the counting process in the state, he  added.

Raju said a 100-meter radius around the counting centre area has been declared a “Pedestrian Zone” and no one will be allowed to drive in that zone. He said that to prevent the entry of any unauthorised persons in the counting centres, three-tier cordoning points have been set up outside the counting centres. He said the first cordning point had been established at  the beginning of a 100 meter radius, where senior magistrates along with the required police force remained to control the crowd.

The second cordning point would be at the gate of the counting centre, where the State Armed Police Forces have been deployed, while the third  cordoning point has been set up at the entrance of the counting hall, which will be manned by the CAPF.

He said as per the instructions of Election Commission of India (ECI) a maximum of 14 counting tables would be set up at each counting center.

In addition, separate tables will be set up for counting of postal ballots issued to service voters and officers or staff engaged in election duty.

Raju said that in view of the vote counting, Section 144 has been imposed in all the districts by the district election officers-cum-deputy commissioners and gathering of people outside the counting centres is prohibited.

He said that information regarding the results of the Punjab Assembly Elections can be obtained from the official website of the Office of the CEO Punjab “https://www.ceopunjab.gov.in” or “https://results.eci.gov.in“.

Apart from this, results can also be obtained from Voter Helpline Mobile Application, he added. In addition, Raju also said that the day of counting has been declared a dry day by the government till the counting of votes is completed.