Section 144 to be imposed on counting day in Visakhapatnam

The countdown for much-awaited counting day has begun. With just a few more hours left before we know who will form the next government in the state and the centre, the officials have been on war-footing to ensure a peaceful and smooth counting process on 23 May. City Police Commissioner Mahesh Laddha informed that Section 144 of the IPC and Section 30 of the Police Act will be implemented in Visakhapatnam on the counting day (23 May).

Mr. Laddha, along with Vizag district Collector K Bhaskar, stated that rallies, processions or protests will not be allowed in the city until 27 May, when the model of conduct comes to an end.

The counting for the 15 Assembly seats and 3 Lok Sabha seats in Vizag will take place at Andhra University in the city. While 30 rooms have been allotted for the counting of votes for Assembly and Parliament, 3 rooms have been identified for counting the votes from postal and service ballots. The officials have also estimated that the counting for the seats of Araku and Bheemili will take more comparatively. On the other hand, the constituencies of Madugula and Visakhapatnam West are expected to take the least time for counting the votes.

Reportedly, the officials have also arranged tight security at the counting centres in Vizag, with a total of 1270 personnel being deployed.