Mangalore : The counting will commence from 8 am. The counting process will be held at Mahatma Gandhi Centenary Pre-University College, Bondel said, Returning Officer A.B. Ibrahim.

The Election Commission has received 497 postal ballots pertaining to elections to Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency till Wednesday, With this the total votes cast in the constituency has touched 12,07,665. Of them 12,07,168 votes had been cast in the electronic voting machines on April 17, he told to media here on Wednesday.

Postal ballots would be received till 8 a.m. on Friday. Later counting of postal ballots and votes cast in EVMs would be done simultaneously. He said that a local television channel ‘Namma Kudla V 4’ would telecast live the results. The results would also be displayed live on a large screen inside the town hall.

15 rounds of counting for Mangalore and Moodbidri assembly segments, 16 rounds for Mangalore South and Puttur, 17 rounds for Mangalore North and Sullia, and 18 rounds for Bantwal assembly segment constituency, he informed.

He said once the counting started the main road (airport road) in front of the college would be closed for traffic.

He said that sale of liquor from 6 a.m. till midnight in the constituency on the counting day had been banned. No victory processions or programmes should be held after the counting was over. Only those who have been issued with the identity cards by the commission would be allowed into the premises of the college.

All polling agents should posses the compulsory identity cards which have already had been issued, The polling personnel on duty are not allowed to take cell phones, laptops or i-pad to the counting centre.

The Returning Officer said that more than 600 personnel would be on duty on the counting duty.

To enable polling staff on duty and representatives of political parties to reach the college buses would ply from State Bank of India bus terminus, Nanthoor and from Ullal from 5.30 a.m.