Morning Digest: Counting underway in four States, Puducherry for 822 Assembly seats; Private hospitals begin vaccination for 18+, and more
The Hindu
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Starting 8 a.m. on Sunday, the counting of votes for the 822 Assembly seats spread across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will take place at 2,364 counting halls following the COVID-19 protocols, the Election Commission (EC) said on Saturday. In 2016, the total number of counting halls was 1,002. The over-200% increase is due to the distancing norms being followed by the poll panel to curb the spread of the coronavirus.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.