Aizawl :  Mizoram is fully prepared for the counting of votes for the state’s lone Lok Sabha seat to be held on June 4, a senior official said.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Madhup Vyas said that over 2,000 officials, including the Returning Officer, Assistant  Returning  Officer, Counting Supervisor, Counting Assistant and Micro Observer will be deployed for counting across the state.

He said a three-tier security arrangement has been in each of all the 13 counting centres across the state. He said there will be three counting centres in the state capital Aizawl and one each in other district headquarters.

 Altogether, there will be 40 counting halls with 379 counting tables. Each counting table will be supervised and monitored by one of the counting supervisors, counting agent and micro-observer, he said.

He said that counting centres will also be monitored by observers appointed by the Election Commission.

Counting will begin at 8 am on June 4 and the postal ballot will be counted first followed by votes cast in EVMs, according to the CEO.

There are five assembly segments where there will be five rounds of counting, 4 rounds of counting in 15 assembly segments, 3 rounds in 18 assembly segments and 2 rounds of counting will take place in 2 assembly segments, he said. 

Media centres have been set up in all counting centres to ensure seamless distribution of information regarding election results to the public, the CEO said. 

Mizoram has only one Lok Sabha seat and 56.6 per cent of over 8.56 lakh voters cast their votes in the Lok Sabha polls held on April 19.

Six candidates, one each from the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), Congress, BJP, People’s Conference (PC) party and an independent candidate had contested the polls.