Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai participated in a video call with Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, June 2, 2024, to discuss measures for the vote counting of the Lok Sabha election on June 4. The two national leaders urged PCC (Pradesh Congress Committees) chiefs to disregard the exit polls that have mostly given the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP a thumping majority in the Lok Sabha elections, and asked them to ensure that party agents are vigilant until the last vote is counted.
Mr. Selvaperunthagai said Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi had reiterated the importance of being vigilant on counting day and being present until the very end. “They spoke to PCC presidents across India and stated that the ‘exit polls’ are only ‘Modi’s exit polls’. They asked us to ensure the party agents are present until the last vote is counted on June 4,” he said.
Mr. Selvaperunthagai reportedly told them he was confident the Congress would win all the seats it has contested in Tamil Nadu. Asked what he made of the exit poll results, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said he expects the BJP to experience significant losses in their stronghold, Uttar Pradesh itself. “This is what I am hearing from friends in UP. That BJP struggled to mobilise crowds for their rallies, and the SP-Congress alliance would do very well there,” he said.
In a statement, Mr. Selvaperunthagai urged Congress agents to arrive at the counting centres at 6 a.m. on counting day. “During the counting process, agents should bring the Election Commission manuals and relevant law books to ensure they are fully informed of the procedures. Therefore, agents are requested to arrive at the counting centers by 6 a.m. and act with great caution to prevent any errors,” he said.
“Before counting the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and VVPATs, the counting agents must ensure that the seals on the machines are intact. They must verify the entries on Form 17C to confirm that the votes recorded in the form match those in the EVMs. If any machine has damaged seals or mismatched numbers, it should be set aside and not counted.”
He further said the counting for 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu will take place at 39 centres across 43 buildings and 234 rooms and there will be more than 16 tables in each counting room. “Each assembly segment will have separate tables for counting votes. At each of these tables, the counting agents of the candidates have the right to sit with the assistant election officer. This right must not be compromised under any circumstances,” he said.
