Counting of votes in Dantewada assembly bypoll on Friday

The counting of votes in the Dantewada assembly bypoll in Chhattisgarh held on September 23 will be taken up on Friday with both the Congress and the BJP eyeing victory in the Naxal-affected seat.

The vote count will start at 8 am at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) campus in Dantewada district headquarters, where security has been stepped up, a poll official said here on Thursday.

The ruling Congress and main opposition BJP are locked in a direct fight in this Naxal-hit seat where bypoll was necessitated after the death of sitting BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi in a Maoist attack in April this year.

Postal ballots will be first taken up for counting followed by votes cast in the EVMs, he said, adding the entire process will go on till 20 rounds.

After completion of counting, votes polled in Electronic Voting Machines and matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs at any five polling booths in the constituency will be carried out, he added.

Voter verifiable paper ...