Strict Covid-19 protocols were followed at the voting booths with mandatory wearing of face masks. (File photo)
KOLKATA: The election commission has made elaborate arrangements for counting of votes on May 2 for the West Bengal assembly polls and put in place measures to ensure strict adherence to health safety protocols, amid a raging second wave of Covid-19, an official said on Saturday.
A three-tier security arrangement has been in place at 108 counting centres where polled electronic voting machines (EVMs), along with voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units have been kept in strong rooms, he said.
At least 292 observers have been appointed and 256 companies of central forces deployed at the counting centres spread across 23 districts of the state that voted in eight phases between March 27 and April 29.
Like several other politicians, Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) president Pappu Yadav also came out in support of Mamata Banerjee, calling her the 'future of the country'
Dutta claimed that he was taking tea at a roadside stall on Kalyani Expressway at Rahara when someone threw the bomb which exploded a few metres away from his vehicle.
In a letter to the Trinamool Congress, the poll panel cited election law and various steps it has taken to ensure safety of voters in view of the coronavirus pandemic to rule out any change.