Cachar gears up for high-stakes May 4 vote count under tight security

Eager anticipation surrounds the counting of votes for the 2026 Assembly elections, scheduled to take place on May 4 across the state, including Cachar district. 

The district administration has completed all necessary preparations for the process.

The counting of votes will begin at 8 am on May 4. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of EVM votes from 8:30 am onwards. Counting for all seven Assembly constituencies in the district will be conducted simultaneously.

A total of 14 counting tables have been arranged for each centre. Based on the number of postal ballots, arrangements have been made to count more than 500 ballots per table.

Among the constituencies, Katigorah is expected to take the longest time as it has the highest number of polling stations, requiring 21 rounds of counting. District Magistrate Ayush Garg said that, on average, counting at each centre is expected to conclude in 16 to 17 rounds.

The administration estimates that the entire counting process will be completed within 10 to 11 hours.

Officials said meetings have already been held with all candidates, during which counting rules and procedures were explained in detail and their queries were addressed.

Security arrangements have also been tightened. Heavy police deployment will be in place at the counting centre located at ISBT. More than 700 government employees have been assigned for the process.

In total, around 1,200 personnel, including 500 police staff, will be engaged to ensure that the counting is conducted smoothly, peacefully and fairly.

The district administration expressed confidence that the counting process will be completed in a peaceful and transparent manner.