Chief Electoral Officer P Jawahar says arrangements in place for vote counting in Puducherry

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Puducherry, has made elaborate arrangements for the counting of votes for the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections, scheduled on May 4. Counting will be held across all four regions-Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam-at six designated centres under strict security protocols.
 
In the Puducherry region, counting will take place at Women’s Engineering College, Motilal Nehru Government Polytechnic and Tagore Arts and Science College. In Karaikal, counting will be held at the P.G. Centre of Arignar Anna Government Arts and Science College.
 
In Mahe, the counting centre has been set up at Jawaharlal Nehru Government Higher Secondary School, while in Yanam, counting will be conducted at Dr S.R.K. Government Arts College. A total of 166 tables have been arranged for EVM and VVPAT counting, along with 35 tables for postal ballots. For EVM and VVPAT counting, 218 Counting Supervisors, 221 Counting Assistants and 232 Micro Observers have been deployed.
 
For postal ballot counting, 47 Counting Supervisors, 94 Counting Assistants and 47 Micro Observers have been engaged. Three-tier security arrangements have been put in place as per Election Commission guidelines, with Central Armed Police Forces and local police ensuring security.
 
Only authorised persons with valid identity cards will be allowed inside the counting halls, and mobile phones are strictly prohibited. Chief Electoral Officer P. Jawahar inspected the counting centres and stated that all arrangements are in place for a transparent and orderly counting process. The public can follow real-time counting trends and results through the Election Commission’s official website and the ECINET mobile application.