Votes cast in 17 Assembly seats in and around the city will be counted at nine counting centres on Monday, with strong rooms turned into fortresses and the administration imposing curbs in the surrounding areas. Counting will begin at 8am, and according to the Election Commission, postal ballots are likely to be taken up for the first half-hour, followed by EVM votes from 8.30am. Monday, however, is the first working day of the week. Many schools have suspended in-person classes, but most offices will remain open. Metro gives a lowdown on what to expect on the roads on the day of the results
Counting centres
Counting centres in and around the city and the Assembly constituencies whose votes would be counted there
- Netaji Indoor Stadium, BBD Bag
Chowrangee, Entally, Beleghata, Jorasanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala, Kashipore-Belgachia.
- Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University, Ballygunge Circular Road
Ballygunge
- Ballygunge Government High School, Beltala Road
Rashbehari
- Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School, Lord Sinha Road
Bhabanipur
- St Thomas Boys High School, Diamond Harbour Road
Kolkata Port
- APC Ray Polytechnic College, Jadavpur
Bhangar
Hastings House compound, Alipore, will house three counting centres
1 Viharilal College, 20B, Judges Court Road
2 Behala Purba, Behala Paschim, Kasba
3 State Institute of Physical Education for Women, 20B, Judges Court Road
Tollygunj
- Gymnasium Hall, B.Ed College, 20B, Judges Court Road
Jadavpur
Security
There will be a three-layer security ring outside the counting centres. Central forces will man the inside of the counting centres and the compound between the building and the main gate. The state police will guard the area outside the compound’s perimeter.
A total of 200 companies of the central forces have been deployed at the counting centres across the state.
The deployment of central forces at a counting centre will depend on the number of Assembly constituencies whose votes are scheduled to be counted there.
One platoon of central forces, comprising 30 to 50 personnel, will be deployed for each assembly constituency at a counting centre. The counting centres where EVMs from multiple Assembly constituencies have been stored will have larger forces to guard them than single strongroom voting centres. The perimeter of the counting
centres up to 200 meters outside the venue will be manned by the city police.
There will be no restrictions on shops or pedestrian movement beyond a 200-metre radius of the counting centres. However, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNS have been imposed around the counting centres, barring the assembly of five or more persons in the vicinity.
Outcome trends
“If the results are one-sided, trends should become clear by around 11am or shortly after. But if the contest is close, it will take longer to gauge who is ahead,” a poll panel official said, drawing on experience of conducting elections.
In most constituencies, final results are usually declared by 2.30pm or 3pm. However, a district election officer cautioned that the process could take longer this time.
“Given the way things have progressed in this election so far, it appears both principal rivals may seek cross-checks or raise objections over minor issues, which could slow the process,” the officer said.
After each round of counting — with one round covering votes from 14 booths — counting agents are provided with the results for that round.
Traffic curbs
Traffic restrictions and diversions between 5am and 10 pm on Monday
- Restrictions on east-bound vehicles from Judges Court Road and Alipore Road Crossing
- Restrictions on north-bound and south-bound vehicles from Judges Court Road and Baker Road crossing
- Entry of election-related vehicles for Hastings House Complex will be via Judges Court Road, and the exit will be via Alipore Road
- North-bound vehicles along Alipore Road may be diverted from Chetla Central Road and the Alipore Road crossing
- The auto stand near Vivekananda College will be shifted near Reliance Trends on the western flank of Diamond Harbour Road
- Traffic movement on Auckland Road will be prohibited from both ends, barring election-related vehicles and vehicles of judges
- All election-related vehicles may enter Auckland Road from the All India Radio side and exit through Strand Road
- Vehicular traffic along Strand Road, between Auckland Road and the Kiran Shankar Roy Road crossing, will be suspended as and when required
- Lord Sinha Road may be closed for vehicular traffic as and when considered necessary, except for election-related and property line vehicles.
Vehicular traffic on the following roads may be closed on Monday, except for property line vehicles, as and when considered necessary by the traffic police on duty:
- Ballygunge Circular Road (Between Ballygunge Phari and Gurusaday Road)
- Ritchie Road
- Sarat Bose Road (Between Hazra Road and Rowland Row)
- Beltala Road
- Palit Street
- Paddapukur Road
- Lovelock Place
- Chakraberia Road
- Dover Road
- Deodar Street
- Lord Sinha Road
No Parking
Parking will not be allowed on these roads on Monday:
- JL Nehru Road (Between Shakespeare Sarani and AJC Bose Road)
- Camac Street (From Pretoria Extension up to the Shakespeare Sarani crossing)
- Along DH Road (From the Ekbalpur Road crossing to the Kidderpore Road crossing)
Strand Road
- Ganga Sagar Mela Complex
- Esplanade Row (West)
Police said no vehicles, other than those related to election duty, will be allowed to park near the counting centres on Monday
Schools
Most schools have suspended in-person classes on Monday in anticipation of traffic disruptions, particularly during dispersal hours. Some institutions will hold online classes instead, with campuses set to reopen on Tuesday.
Among the schools that have suspended physical classes are La Martiniere for Girls, Modern High School for Girls, Delhi Public School Ruby Park, Delhi Public School New Town, Julien Day Group of Schools in Calcutta, Howrah, Kalyani and Ganganagar, and The Newtown School.
Many schools had decided last week to suspend classes because buses and pool cars had been requisitioned for election duty. In the absence of vehicles, running schools becomes difficult. Many students depend on school buses and pool cars for their commute.
Eye on the sky
Thundershowers are likely in and around the city, accompanied by gusty winds. Heavy rain has been forecast for North 24-Parganas and Hooghly.
Transport
Metro Railway will follow its usual weekday schedule. On the north-south corridor (Blue Line), the first and last trains will leave terminal stations around 6.50am and 9.45pm. On the East-West Metro (Green Line), the first trains will leave the terminal stations at 6.39am and 6.45am. The last trains will leave at 9.55pm and 10.05pm.
Catching a bus might be difficult. Operators said a majority of the buses have been taken off the roads for election duty. “State buses will be on the roads, though perhaps not in sufficient numbers,” said a member of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates.
Several app cab operators said they would wait and watch before hitting the streets on Monday. Any trouble on the streets would further decrease the fleet size.
Booze
Monday will be a dry day, with off-shops and bars at restaurants, clubs and hotels remaining closed. Online delivery of liquor will also remain suspended for the day.
Malls and eateries
Malls and restaurants will be open across the city.
Parks
The gates of Rabindra Sarobar and Subhas Sarobar will remain closed after 10am on Monday. “The parks will reopen from 5am on Tuesday,” said an official of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the custodian of the two parks with large water bodies within their premises.