4,000 Officials, Security Personnel Deployed for Counting; Final Results by Monday 8 AM: DC Cachar

With the early morning incessant rainfall, the counting of votes in Cachar district for the Panchayat Elections began an hour later than scheduled. Deputy Commissioner Mridul Yadav, who is overseeing the process, said counting started at 9 AM instead of the targeted 8 AM due to the rainfall.

“There was a delay because of the rain, but all counting halls are now fully functional. The first round is about to conclude,” said Yadav, speaking to reporters around noon on May 11.

Cachar has 23 counting halls — 21 located at ISBT, Silchar, and two in Lakhipur. “Each hall will go through a maximum of 7 to 8 rounds, and each round takes about 2 to 3 hours. So we expect the counting to continue in two shifts and conclude by early tomorrow morning,” he added.

Over 2,000 counting officials and an equal number of security personnel have been deployed. With agents included, around 4,000 to 5,000 people are expected to participate in shifts throughout the process.

“There is a huge number of people here in ISBT since 5 AM. We’ve arranged adequate facilities, including seating and security. The weather is improving and we don’t foresee further delays,” the DC assured.

Mridul Yadav estimated that the entire counting process will conclude by around 5 AM on May 12, with final tabulation and official results expected by 8 AM. “Candidates might get to know the results before the official declaration, but the complete process will be done by tomorrow morning,” he said.

The polling for the elections was held in Cachar on May 2, which concluded without any untoward incidents and the requirement of any repoll.