Nagaon bypoll counting to begin at 8 am on October 9; 14 tables each for counting

Counting of votes for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election will begin at 8 am on October 9, Nagaon Deputy Commissioner and District Commissioner Aranyak Saikia said on October 8.

Addressing a press conference on preparations for the counting process, Saikia said postal ballots would be counted first, followed by counting of votes from electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Counting for the Samaguri, Dhing and Rupohihat Assembly segments will be held at Dawson Higher Secondary School in Nagaon, while counting for Nagaon-Batadroba and Raha will take place at the Government Boys' School strong rooms.

The strong rooms will be opened at 6 am on Friday in the presence of authorised representatives, officials said.

There will be 14 counting tables for each of the counting centres. The counting process is expected to be completed within 18 to 22 rounds, depending on the Assembly segment.

The Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded around 76 per cent voter turnout in Tuesday's by-election, with the final figure expected to rise after votes cast by electors who were inside polling stations at the closing time are included.

The counting will decide the outcome of the contest involving 15 candidates, including BJP's Devashish Sharma, Congress' Sibamoni Bora and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal.