Security beefed up for poll counting in Arunachal Pradesh for May 16

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Arunachal Pradesh for counting of votes for Friday, for two; Lok Sabha and 49 state assembly seats, polling for which was conducted on April 9.

"We have deployed security personnel including central para military forces (CPMF) and state police in all the counting centres for ensuring smooth and violence-free counting," Interior Gateway Protocol  (Law and Order) Satyendra Garg told Press Trust of India.

Additional central para military forces personnel have been allotted to the state by the Centre as reinforcement to maintain law and order during counting and the period after it.

Garg, who himself visited the counting centres on thursday, to oversee the arrangements during the day, said a three-layer security cover is in place and police barricades would be put up 100 m away from the counting halls on all sides as per the Election Commission orders.

The whole process of counting would be videographed and district electoral officers have asked the magistrates to be strict and prompt in their action while dealing with any law and order problem and filing of FIR, election office sources informed.

The fate of 143 candidates who contested from 49 assembly constituencies along with 11 candidates who were in the fray for Arunachal East and West parliamentary seats would be known during the counting for friday.

The Congress had already won 11 assembly seats uncontested.