New Delhi: Authorities here are all geared up for the counting of votes polled in the Delhi municipal elections, with officials saying 42 centres have ben set up for the Wednesday exercise which will begin at 8 am amid tight security.
Delhi recorded a voter turnout of 50.48 per cent in the keenly-watched polls held on December 4, results of which may have ramifications beyond the national capital.
The election was largely touted as a three-way contest among a spirited AAP, a confident BJP and a hopeful Congress.
There are 250 wards in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and 1,349 candidates are in the fray in this election.
"We are all set for the counting of votes tomorrow for which 42 centres have been set up. Counting will take place amid tight security arrangements," a senior official of the State Election Commission said.
The centres are located in areas, including, Shastri Park, Yamuna Vihar, Mayur Vihar, Nand Nagari, Dwarka, Okhla, Mangolpuri, Pitampura, Alipur and Model Town.
Tight security arrangements have been made at all the centres with with 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and more than 10,000 police personnel deployed for the day at the centres, police officials said.
Besides the counting centres, heavy police presence will also be ensured outside the offices of political parties. Adequate security personnel will also be deployed to prevent clashes between activists of different parties.
Both AAP and the BJP have exuded confidence that they will emerge victorious in the polls while the Congress is seeking to regain lost turf.
In the 2017 civic election, the BJP had won 181 of the 270 wards. Polling could not be held on two seats due to the death of candidates. The AAP had won 48 wards and the Congress 27. The voting percentage that year was around 53.
This year, the highest polling percentage (65.72) has been recorded in ward no. 5 (Bakhtawarpur), while the lowest (33.74 per cent) was registered in ward no.145 (Andrews Ganj).