1500 police personnel, paramilitary deployed in Lucknow amid LS polls counting of votes

Lucknow: As the mammoth exercise to count votes polled for the Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections started at 8:00 am on Tuesday, Lucknow Joint Commissioner of Police (C.P.) Law and Order Upendra Kumar Agarwal informed about the deployment of 1500 police personnel as well as PAC and paramilitary in the city.
Speaking with ANI, Upendra Kumar Agarwal said, "... Three-tier security arrangements have been made. We have deployed a paramilitary team outside the counting room... There are more than 1500 police personnel, two companies of paramilitary, and one company of Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) have also been deployed."
He added further, "... Only those people are allowed to enter the vote counting premises who have the agent card... Taking out any kind of procession is also banned and we have also urged everyone not to take out any procession. Continuous monitoring is being done and we will take all the necessary steps."
Polling for the Assembly elections in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were held simultaneously with voting for the 543-member Lok Sabha. Results of 175 Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and results of by-polls in 25 Assembly constituencies will also be declared today.
Strict security has been put in place for the smooth conduct of counting of votes for over 8,000 candidates in this general elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will seek a third consecutive term in government, while the Congress-led opposition aims to unseat them.
Most exit polls have predicted a return of PM Modi to power, a development which will make him the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to secure a third successive term in power.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders met with the Election Commission of India urging it to ensure that postal ballots are counted and their results declared before the outcome of the EVMs is announced.
Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said that a "very robust system" has been put in place. "There are around 10.5 lakh booths. Each booth will have 14 tables. There are observers and micro-observers. Nearly, 70-80 lakh people are involved in the process," he said.