Thiruvananthapuram, May 1 -- Extensive preparations have been completed for the counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies in the 2026 elections, scheduled on May 4, with counting set to begin at 8 am under tight security and multi-layered transparency measures.
The exercise will be conducted at 140 counting centres across 43 locations, deploying a total of 15,465 officials to ensure a smooth, accurate, and credible process.
Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Rathan U. Kelkar said the large-scale operation will involve Returning Officers (ROs), 1,340 Additional Assistant Returning Officers (AROs), 4,208 micro observers, 4,208 counting supervisors, and 5,563 counting assistants. Each counting round will cover votes from up to 14 pollin...