Mangaluru : The final declaration of results may not be as fast as it was earlier, for the 17th Lok Sabha on Thursday as the Election Commission of India has adopted an elaborate procedure, including tallying of votes in randomly selected five EVMs and their VVPATs for each Assembly constituency, before declaring results.

Speaking to reporters about the preparations for counting of votes in the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency here, Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer S. Sasikanth Senthil said that unlike in the past, votes polled by each candidate in every round would have to be entered in the Suvidha portal of the ECI before it is announced at the counting centre. In essence, trends would be known to everyone following www.results.eci.gov.in and the Suvidha App and not necessarily to only those at the counting centre.

As many as 14 each counting tables are set up for the eight Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha constituency with each table manned by 70 personnel at the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal. EVMs and VVPATs are kept in safe custody on this premises.

Counting would be taken up in 18 rounds each for Belthangady, Mangaluru South, Mangaluru North and Bantwal Assembly segments, while it would be 17 rounds for Sullia, 16 rounds for Moodbidri and Puttur and 15 rounds for Mangaluru Assembly segment. While the strong rooms would be opened at 7 a.m. in the presence of an election observer and candidates, counting would commence at 8 a.m. starting with postal and electronic postal ballots.

Mr. Senthil also said that sale of liquor has been banned from 5 p.m. on Wednesday till midnight on Thursday.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been promulgated.

Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil, Superintendent of Police B.M. Laxmi Prasad and others were present.