Security beefed up in Haryana, Maha ahead of vote counting

Security has been beefed up in the states of Haryana and Maharashtra ahead of the counting of votes for the recently concluded assembly election in both the states.

Hyderabad: In the backdrop of counting of votes for the just concluded Haryana and Maharashtra assembly election beginning Thursday morning, heavy security has been deployed in and around strong rooms in both the states.

Along with state police, 25,000 security personnel have been deployed across Maharashtra to ensure that counting passes off smoothly. Counting of votes would begin at 8 am and be held at 269 different locations across Maharashtra. The Election Commission would also record a video of the entire counting process.

Meanwhile in Haryana, the state police have made a foolproof three-tier security arrangement for the safety of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines brought to the designated strong rooms.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Haryana, Navdeep Singh Virk said that 90 strong rooms have been established at 59 different locations with a round-the-clock vigil to ensure the safety of EVMs and VVPAT machines.

Giving details about the security measures, Virk said that in the first layer, personnel of Central Armed Police Forces are deployed near the strong rooms, Haryana Armed Police personnel posted in the second layer and district police personnel are manning the outer layer.

Along with the two states, results will also be declared for assembly by-polls on 51 seats across 17 states and will have political implications for the parties in power.